September 25th, 2007
New nuke? Not since Three Mile Island
They want to build two new nuclear reactors in Texas. NRG Energy already has two reactors southwest of Houston in Bay City. They want to double the size of that electricity generating plant.
NRG co-owns the Bay City plant along with utilities in San Antonio and Austin. The application for the new reactors was filed with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It’s the first application for new reactors in America since 1978 when the Three Mile Island radioactive leak happened in Pennsylvania. That was at the same time the “China Syndrome” movie was playing to large and frightened audiences.
American companies have long since abandoned nuclear plant technology. France, Japan and other nations depend much more heavily on nuclear power for making elecricity. The U.S. gets less than 9% of its electricity from nuclear plants.
If the permits are granted for construction, Toshiba would supply the nuclear know-how. How thick is the irony that American companies would buy nuclear equipment and services from a Japanese firm?
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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