Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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Nuclear plans hurting power companies’ credit ratings
Power companies pursuing construction of new nuclear plants may find it harder to get credit — meaning ratepayers could end up shouldering a greater financial burden for the costly and environmentally harmful projects. Moody’s Investors Service, a leading independent credit rating firm, recently released a report that says it’s considering taking a “more negative view” […]
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Ohio officials tout plans for new nuclear power plant
Ohio media sources are reporting that Piketon, a small town 60-miles south of Columbus, could be in line to get a new nuclear power plant. Gov. Ted Strickland (D), Sen. George Voinovich (R), Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) and officials from Duke Energy and French nuclear company Areva were in Piketon Thursday to announce plans for […]
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‘Poor quality control’ in nuclear construction? Heaven forfend.
“Although the technical issues vary, inspections repeatedly identify a lack of contractor oversight and poor quality control in concrete placement.” — the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in a report about problems at the Savannah River nuclear plant
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Is the U.S. nuclear industry writing its own ticket on security?
Over the last 15 years, the nuclear power industry has lobbied the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Congress to weaken security requirements at atomic plants, even as the threat of terrorism has grown. But in reality, as Shelley Smithson shows in Part I of this series, nuclear energy security is already poor. In drills conducted by […]
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How secure are U.S. nuclear power plants?
Roughly 40 miles from the rubble of the World Trade Center, U.S. Navy cutters patrol the chilly waters of the Hudson River. Military planes circle overhead. On the ground, members of the National Guard stand ready. The Indian Point nuclear power station, which churns out electricity to nearly 2 million homes around New York City, […]