Friday, January 25, 2008

Nuclear power?s Achilles heel


Here's a new reason to pause when talk turns to Idaho becoming the host site for nuclear power plants generating electricity for export to other states.

At least 24 nuclear plants in the southeastern United States face shutdown or drastically limited operations because of severe drought conditions that have precipitously lowered the levels of lakes and rivers that feed the plants' voracious appetite for water. That's 23 percent of the nation's 104 nuclear power plants.

Other facts for Idaho nuclear enthusiasts to remember: The Idaho Department of Water Resources issued drought alerts in 21 counties last year, and according to IDWR, Idaho currently shows an ongoing deficit equivalent to 43 inches of snow.

Water rights are a continuing drama in Idaho. Proposing a nuclear power plant would toss the debate into further turmoil.

Why? For example, the Harris reactor near Raleigh, N.C., with its huge Three-Mile Island-type cooling towers, sucks up 33 million gallons of water per day—with 17 million gallons lost to evaporation. Repositioning 18-foot-wide concrete intake pipes lower into the drought-stricken rivers and lakes is no answer—too low and the pipes suck in fish, sediment and garbage.

Replacing power lost by shutting down 24 plants would be costly—instead of power generated at $5 to $7 per megawatt hour, costs would be 10 times that to consumers if imported from afar.

Factoring in the long-term impact of global warming on Idaho's water reserves would also be prudent.

Nuclear power plants in other states have demonstrated just how risky they would be for Idaho.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.