As Reactors Age, the Money to Close Them Lags
Posted: Mon 26 Mar 2012, 01:09:24
As Reactors Age, the Money to Close Them Lags
(I also posted this to a thread in the Environment forum, but due to some mysterious glitch it didn't show on "Active Discussions")
If you think that peak oil will cause economic stagnation so that we can't afford to develop alternatives, here is a new worry: the funding needed to clean up old nukes also depends on growth of investments.WASHINGTON — The operators of 20 of the nation’s aging nuclear reactors, including some whose licenses expire soon, have not saved nearly enough money for prompt and proper dismantling. If it turns out that they must close, the owners intend to let them sit like industrial relics for 20 to 60 years or even longer while interest accrues in the reactors’ retirement accounts.
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Of the 20 reactors that lack the money for swift deconstruction, the owners hope that license renewals from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will make the problem go away.
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the mothball strategy carries risks that could outweigh benefits. Proponents say “it’s like magic — compound interest on the one hand and radioactive decay on the other,” he said. (Because radioactivity levels decline over time, deconstruction workers would ultimately be exposed to less contamination.) But future investment returns could prove bleak, Mr. Biewald warns, and anticipated deconstruction costs could easily rise.
(I also posted this to a thread in the Environment forum, but due to some mysterious glitch it didn't show on "Active Discussions")