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State Approves 2 Nuclear Plants

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By RUSSELL RAY

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 16, 2008

State regulators have approved Progress Energy Florida's plan to build two nuclear power plants in Levy County.

The $17 billion project, which was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Florida Public Service Commission in Tallahassee, will lead to a 3 percent to 4 percent increase in electric bills each year from 2009 to 2018. In January, the project will add $7.50 to monthly bills of an average residential customer who consumes 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month.

The project requires approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The utility expects to file an application for an operating and construction permit with the nuclear agency this month.
Progress Energy Florida is Central Florida's largest power provider, serving nearly 1.7 million customers in 35 counties, including Pinellas, Polk and Pasco. The two-reactor project would be built about 10 miles north of the company's nuclear plant in Crystal River and would add about 800 full-time, high-paying jobs.
Nuclear plants don't release emissions into the air, but concerns about a meltdown and storing radioactive waste persist. What's more, the cost of building a nuclear plant is significantly higher than the cost of a plant fueled by coal or natural gas.

"We have serious safety concerns, and it's exorbitantly expensive," said Holly Binns, a spokeswoman for Environment Florida. "To saddle customers with a multibillion-dollar bill before we fully explore the opportunity to meet our energy needs with clean resources, I think, is a mistake."

If the project wins approval from the nuclear agency, construction would begin in 2012. The new reactors are expected to begin commercial operation in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

"It's a very bad idea," said Jim Walker, a citizen who protested Tuesday's decision. "They're expensive. They're unreliable. They produce deadly toxic waste and they do produce greenhouse gas emission, contrary to what the industry is saying now."

Despite the high cost of construction, Progress Energy customers will benefit in the long run because the fuel costs of a nuclear plant are substantially lower than a coal or gas plant, the utility said. The savings to customers would be about $1 billion a year, Progress Energy said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.

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