The downsizing of America’s
nuclear fleet appears to be accelerating.
Earlier today, Duke Energy, the largest U.S. utility company
based in Charlotte, NC, said it would abandon the Levy nuclear reactor project
in Florida.
“The Duke decision to pull the plug on Levy follows by just
one day the announcement that the French-subsidized nuclear giant EDF is
pulling out of the U.S. nuclear power market due to the inability of nuclear
power to compete with alternatives and the dramatic reduction in demand growth
caused by increasing efficiency of electricity consuming devices,” said Mark
Cooper, senior fellow for economic analysis at Vermont Law School’s Institute
for Energy and the Environment.