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from the watch-out-for-the-three-eyed-fish dept.
Late last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued its first new operating license in nearly two decades. It was issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which has finally completed the Watts Bar 2 reactor over 40 years after work was started on the site. The plant may begin generating electricity before the year is out.
Construction on the site was put on hiatus in 1985, but efforts to complete it were restarted in 2007. After work had restarted, the Fukushima disaster led to significant revisions of the safety regulations in the US; Watts Bar 2 becomes the first plant to meet all these requirements. Its license is good for 40 years.
According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the total cost for completion was $6 billion.
The NRC's announcement is here. [PDF]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Aiwendil on Tuesday October 27 2015, @10:09PM
License is for 40 years (and a 20 year extension wouldn't be surprising).. What is the expected lifespan of the setup you had in mind? (Also - what would your plan be [and at wgat cost] to provide power during the night?)
And your quip about politics - nuclear is refreshingly non-political (here in sweden this has led to the hillarious situation of when russia or china build a reactor the enviornmenralists cry "that's communistic" and when something nuclear happens in usa or japan they cry "that's capitalistic" (and oddly enough they remain silent on s.korea and UAE).