Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff opine that this editorial would not feel the need to defend nuclear power so vociferously if there were not so many special-interest groups working to bring about its demise, such as the natural gas, coal, and renewable energy lobbyists.
The Nuclear pros far outweigh its cons. Once you dispassionately weigh all the facts, many people arrive at the same conclusion. Then you should be as unmoved as we are by the anti-nuclear crowd assertion that cost overruns and construction delays at Plant Vogtle, coupled with plummeting natural gas prices, spell gloom and doom for the industry.
First of all, the new reactors appear to be back on track. Based on a recent report, the 5,000 construction workers are holding to the revised schedule that Southern Co. Georgia Power subsidiary announced several months ago. Barring any major setbacks, the new units should be complete in June 2019 and 2020.
It is important to remember a nuclear plant is unlike anything else in the world, and this country has not built one in more than 30 years. A hiccup here and there is to be expected.
We do not mean to suggest the forecasted 18-month construction delay and 22 percent increase in total project cost are not substantial. They are. And those costs will be borne by Southern shareholders or customers, or both. But in the grand scheme of things, they will not matter much at all in the long term.
These new reactors, like the two already in operation at Vogtle, are designed to turn out safe, reliable and low-cost electricity for generations. The existing nuclear power plants in Georgia are a big reason why our electric rates have been historically lower than the rest of the nation.
A good read...read on.
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