Groups aim to stop new nuclear reactor

By ELISHA SAUERS Staff Writer
Published 04/01/09


BALTIMORE - As Constellation Energy seeks to expand its nuclear energy output by partnering with a French power company and building a new reactor just south of Anne Arundel County, statewide consumer groups are trying to draw a line in the sand.

Members of Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition, which includes Maryland PIRG, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Nuclear Information and Resource Service and others, released a new report yesterday outside of the Public Service Commission headquarters, advocating for clean-energy alternatives.


They said their research shows renewable energy sources can produce more electricity than nuclear power plants and for less money.


"Dollar for dollar, a clean-energy portfolio can deliver more energy than nuclear power," said Johanna Neumann, Maryland PIRG director.


Neumann said nuclear power is 200 percent costlier than combined heat and power technologies - a single integrated system of electricity and thermal energy - and 50 percent more expensive than wind power.


The consumer groups are asking the Public Service Commission to deny UniStar Nuclear Energy, the joint venture of Constellation and Electricite de France, its request to build a third nuclear reactor in Calvert Cliffs, Calvert County.


EDF is one of the leaders in the energy market in Europe and one of the largest nuclear power partners in the world, according to its Web site.


The coalition's research states that the cost to build a new reactor is escalating because of an increase in demand for reactor parts. According to the report, Constellation estimated the cost of constructing the reactor to be between $2.5 billion and $3 billion.


But in July 2007, the utility told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the reactor would have about a $6.9 billion price tag, the report stated.(Price double!!)


The groups said in order to finance the project, taxpayers will shoulder part of the burden because about 80 percent of the cost will rely on taxpayer-backed loan guarantees.


But Maureen Brown, a spokeswoman for Constellation, said the shareholders, not ratepayers or taxpayers, will hold the cost and risk associated with the project.(US gov't gives monies to Nuke Plants, which are taxpayers - not telling the truth!)


In the long run, the additional nuclear power supply in the area will probably be more "economical" for customers, she said.(Not True, need to be the NC Article about the increase in power!!)


"We believe that a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs would in all likelihood be below that market price because market price is set by fossil fuels," Brown said. "You're shielded from volatile gas prices."(But not from nuke accidents!!)


At the news conference yesterday, representatives from the coalition held signs and a banner that read: "No new nukes," "We love efficiency," "We want green energy" and, in French, "Non Merci UniStar."


Holly Gorman, a spokeswoman for Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said the best interest of state residents is in renewable energy sources.


"The wind blows for free; the sun shines for free," she said.


Gorman added that building another nuclear reactor would make for a missed opportunity in the way of creating a host of green jobs within the state.


Constellation officials have said they are committed to reducing the company's carbon footprint and greenhouse-gas emissions. They said nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases.(What about uranium mining, trucks working and moving uranium, contamination of water, air, the waste product of nuke power, where does it go?)


And on the job front, Brown said a new reactor would give many Marylanders a new paycheck.(at what price, uranium mining, nuke water usage!!)

At peak construction, she said they said about 4,000 workers will be needed, and during operation, the reactor will require about 360 full-time technically trained employees.
"We fully agree that wind and solar need to be an important part in the energy mix going forward," Brown said. "And we think that nuclear power also needs to be an important part."
The PSC will soon decide whether the two companies may merge and if a third reactor at Calvert Cliffs is necessary.