WI nuke plant to close: Low Cost of Nat Gas cited

[Viking12]

With nuclear plant shutting down, ATC to rethink power line upgrade

American Transmission Co. will go back to the drawing board on a nearly $200 million power line project in eastern Wisconsin, because of the planned shutdown of the Kewaunee Power Station.

The Pewaukee-based power line company had filed an application with state regulators two weeks ago seeking permission to upgrade the transmission lines in Sheboygan, Manitowoc and possibly Calumet counties.

The line was needed to help accommodate the increased output from the Point Beach Nuclear Plant in Two Creeks. Depending on the route, the project was estimated to cost $193 million to $263 million.

But the shutdown of the nearby Kewaunee plant by Dominion Resources Inc. next year would affect how power is flowing in the area.

Dominion announced last week that it would shut down the plant in April. Dominion cited the low price of natural gas in the wholesale electricity market as well as the fact that it couldn't achieve economies of scale by spreading its operating costs across more than one reactor.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/176435691.html

[doc03]

1. They are shutting down coal plants here and going to

gas and they call it Obama's War on Coal. So I guess Obama has a War on Nukes now.

[wtmusic]

2. Awesome! Off to a high-carbon future.

What? it was supposed to be low-carbon?

D'oh!