Erice International Seminars 40th Session number 7

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Erice International Seminars 40th Session number
7Nuclear Power Present and Future August 21st
2008Richard WilsonHarvard UniversityIntroductor
y remarks
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In 1972 actual (busbar) nuclear costs in USA
including paying off the mortgagewere 0.55
cents/kwh (Connectict Yankee)Less costly than
electricity from coal.Industry made future
estimates at 1 cent/kwhWidespread enthusiasm
for nuclear powered electricity followed by
France and other countries.Dow Chemical started
a plant to produce process heat as well.
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Industry leaders talked about a nuclear electric
economy (Philip N. Ross paper at back)
includingplugin hybrid carselectrically
operated heat pumpsSuggested that 90 of US
energy use could be nuclear electricThat
possibility remains if we want it
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The USA had built an infrastructureNuclear
engineering DepartmentsTraining in the Nuclear
NavyMany manufacturers Wesinghouse, GE,
Babcock and Wilcox, Combustion Engineering,
General Atomic But starting about 1980 US
canceled nuclear plants, and dismantled the
infrastructure.Coal plants which fit into a
system in a similar way are still being built
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If the 1975 momentum had been maintained we would
have done 5 times as much as the Kyoto agreement
in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.One major
reason for the change was public oppositionwhich
led to strong regulatione.g Point Beach,
Wisconsinstaff went from 208 (including 3
security personnel) in 1972 to over 800 in 1982
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Inherently governments must be more involved with
nuclear power (waste, etc) than for most other
energy technlogies and this leaves scope for
public opposition.The issues of this session
areAre the reasons for the turning away from
nuclear understood?Have the reasons been
addressed?Can we move forward again?Will we
move forward again?