Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy Cheaper and Safer than New Nuclear Plants in Florida and Georgia

[bananas]

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/energy-efficiency-renewable-0565.html

October 6, 2011
Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy Cheaper and Safer than Building New Nuclear Plants in Florida and Georgia, Report Finds

WASHINGTON (October 6, 2011)—According to a new report, ratepayers in Florida and Georgia would be better served by investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources, rather than building new nuclear reactors in those states. The report, “Big Risks, Better Alternatives,” (PDF) was released today by Synapse Energy Economics, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based consulting and research firm.

The report, prepared for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), takes a close look at two nuclear power projects: Progress Energy’s proposal to build Levy 1 and 2 in Florida, and a Georgia Power-led consortium plan to build two new reactors, Vogtle 3 and 4, at an existing nuclear power facility in Georgia. Both projects were proposed in 2006 to meet then-anticipated growth in electricity demand.

The report evaluates both nuclear projects and compares them with other low-carbon alternatives that could meet projected consumer demand at lower cost and risk.

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If history is any guide, the cost estimates for both plants are likely to increase dramatically over time, Vancko said. The anticipated cost and rate impact for the Vogtle project, in particular, could increase significantly. Georgia Power routinely cites outdated cost estimates despite significant changes in economic and regulatory conditions over the past five years. At the same time, the company has refused to publicly disclose cost and schedule data for the project, hindering any independent analysis of the company’s justification for building the two new reactors.

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The Vogtle reactors are being built at an existing nuclear plant,
the Levy reactors are planned for a new greenfield site.
There's absolutely no reason to build any greenfield sites,
the purpose of this "first wave" of new reactors is to show that they can be built on budget and on time,
building new greenfield sites adds cost and time,
they have to build whole new infrastructure (transission, etc).
Most existing sites were selected because they planned to add a half dozen reactors to them,
there's existing infrastructure and trained staff on-site who can work and train new people,
the old plants are going to be decommissioned over the next 20 years,
so a new plant on-site also provides some job security to the people there.