Ohio talks of nuclear energy rebirth

COLUMBUS (AP) — Gov. Ted Strickland’s new energy policy calls for Ohio utility companies to develop alternative energy sources, including nuclear power.

The Legislature went along and the state’s top regulator embraced it. But no Ohio utilities are expected to apply to build nuclear reactors soon, citing high construction costs and the expense associated with disposing of radioactive waste.

“Then, there’s the other obstacle and that’s the cultural obstacle,” said Alan Schriber, chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which regulates the industry.

Stigmas remain, but nuclear energy is enjoying something of a rebirth elsewhere.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received applications to build 15 new reactors in eight states. Later this year, plants in seven other states plan to seek permits for a dozen more reactors.

None of the applications is from Ohio, where the Davis-Besse nuclear plant east of Toledo and the Perry nuclear plant northeast of Cleveland are among 104 still in operation nationally. Both are along the shores of Lake Erie and are owned by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp.

Strickland’s plan calls for Ohio utilities to produce 25 percent of their power from alternative sources by 2025. Half of that would come from renewables such as wind and solar power; the other half would be alternatives such as clean-burning coal and nuclear power.

Technology in nuclear power has advanced considerably, Schriber said. New designs also make them safer and cheaper to build, he said. He pointed to Europe, which never slowed construction of new plants. There are 197 plants in Europe — 57 in France alone — and 13 now under construction.

But it’s been 30 years since the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a license to build a commercial nuclear reactor.

In 1979, a reactor accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania caused radioactive materials to be released. In 1986, an explosion at Chernobyl, Ukraine, contaminated much of the former Soviet Union and led to the deaths of at least 31 people, but the final toll is still debated.

In 2002, an acid leak at the Davis-Besse plant in Ohio nearly ate through the reactor vessel’s 6-inch-thick steel cap. It’s not clear how close the plant was to an accident.

Many environmental activist groups remain opposed to new reactors, citing waste disposal concerns. Most current waste is stored onsite at each plant while the search for a central federal site continues. Some even question whether nuclear power, which provides 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, should qualify as an alternative source of energy.

Sandy Buchanan, executive director of Ohio Citizen Action, fears the utility companies will pass the construction costs — estimated at $5 billion to $7 billion per reactor — on to customers. But the biggest problems are the possibility of accidents and what to do with the waste, she said.