Opponents have not yet surrendered.
The New York Times reports:
For the first time in over three decades, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide to grant a license to build a nuclear reactor — a milestone for an industry whose long-hoped-for renaissance is smaller and later than anticipated.
The vote, set for Thursday, is on two new reactors at the Southern Company’s Alvin W. Vogtle plant near Augusta, Ga. It would be the first vote on a construction license since 1978, a year before the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania…
Some industry experts and antinuclear groups argue that the Vogtle project poses major risks. “The potential is high for cost overruns, regulatory problems, outage issues, competing water needs in the state, drought situations, radioactive waste management issues and a range of ratepayer issues,” the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, an advocacy group, said in a filing with the Georgia Public Service Commission.
The new reactors would produce electricity at a cost of 7 to 9 cents per kilowatt-hour when Southern instead could be reducing demand by investing in efficiency at a cost of 3 cents per kilowatt-hour, the group said.
Nine organizations, including the Southern Alliance, said on Wednesday that they would sue to try to block the license because the commission had not adequately analyzed the new reactors’ design for hazards in response to last year’s disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. The commission has ordered existing plants to adopt some safeguards in response to the Fukushima calamity and is considering others.
Good points, Bill. There’s certainly minimal risk, if any, compared to the Jap-disaster, almost waiting to happen.
What measures do these people suggest to protect Savannah, Georgia, from a forty foot tsunami at Augusta, Georgia? Savannah is 15 to 50 feet AMSL and Augusta is 140 to 150 feet AMSL. Fukushima, Japan, is 10 to 30 feet AMSL. Similar differences with earthquakes. Northern Hokkaido has higher risk and Georgia has lower risk.
AND the Japanese power plants were up to forty years old. Also if the site in Fukushima had wind or solar power plants they would have been abandoned in place. Just like those 14,000 abandoned wind mills in the US.
Has the Gulf had anyTsunamis? –No? NO! And ANY plant can be built to counter-act earthquakes/floods. Build the Georgia plant, and build a “curtain-wall” around the plant (anti-flood/terrorist measure), or let the Green-Nazi-O’Bamunism TAKE-over EVERYTHING! I’ve heard if it IS, (–stopped), the Demon-crats will send an infant pacifier to be placed in the mouth of every adult, VOTING-Georgian, although the “problem” would HAVE to be the Bureaucrats and their Green-Nazi, “Amen-Chorus”, –NOT the good, fair-minded people of Georgia, who WANT the cheap, Green-energy a Nuclear plant provides. The “Pacifier-POINT” is that the Feds THINK Georgians will let the EPA/Regulatory-Green-Nazis RUN OVER THEM! I think Georgia KNOWS it has had quite ENOUGH of Nobama. Georgia can’t abide LESS power when MORE power is needed. Isn’t someone building an auto-plant in Georgia, that will NEED the energy? It’s an Election-year. If a big enough stink is raised, if it’s stopped, the plant WILL be approved, and all will be well.