Nuclear Power- Will we see new plants?

New Nuclear Power plants have been announced worldwide.On the surface these projects would seem to have ideal features to meet challenges such as: climate change, reducing energy imports, and improving system stability.

These plants face substantial barriers due to: waste disposal, high capital cost, perceived public risk, concern that uranium mines can not provide fuel for hundreds of new plants and resolution of the credit crisis.

Will we see them built? Will the number of nuclear jobs increase?

In the US permits have been applied for in Maryland and Texas and other sites are being considered. It appears that gray field sites with existing nuclear plants are getting some level of traction. It is very difficult to see greenfield sites receving all permits in any reasonable timeframe.

The state public service commission in Maryland will vote in 2009 on adding a third reactor to the Calvert Cliffsnuclear facility. The NRG Texas nuclear plant was the first to file a permit in 30 years, but is facing significant headwind.

There are 104 nuclear plants in the US. It is difficult to see the total number of plants increasing in the next 20 years. Can new plants be added fast enough to keep up with retirements? That will decide if employment in the sector will increase.

The recent investment by EdF in Constellation's nuclear portfolio is a good sign for the US nuclear fleet expansion. It is widely viewed that the investment will improve the likelihood that Constellation will be able to finance its new nuclear plant.

One area that is not clear is which nuclear plant technology will win the race for the first new plant to be built in many decades. A consortium of AREVA and Bechtel was awarded a contract by UniStar Nuclear Energy (Constellation) in 2008 for a site at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear facility.

Westinghouse has offered is AP1000 pressurized water reactor (pwr) . It is partners with Shaw group and announced they would built 2 units for Progress Energy in Florida.

GE and Hitachi offer two boiling water reactors (ABWR and ESBWR) designs. Four of its new designs have been put into operation globally.

What we do know is that the US nuclear fleet is aging. Which technology will replace today's fleet is yet to be determined.

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