Westinghouse backs off small nuclear plants

[kristopher]

Westinghouse backs off small nuclear plants
February 1, 2014 8:39 PM

By Anya Litvak / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

After millions of dollars and more than a decade spent developing a small modular nuclear reactor, Westinghouse Electric Co. is pulling back.

Danny Roderick, president and CEO of the Cranberry-based nuclear firm, said Westinghouse recently "reprioritized" staff devoted to small modular reactor, or SMR, development and funneled their efforts to the AP1000, the company's full-scale new generation pressurized water reactor currently under construction in China and the U.S.

"The problem I have with SMRs is not the technology, it's not the deployment -- it's that there's no customers," Mr. Roderick said.

Mr. Roderick said it would be difficult to justify the economics of small modular reactors at this point, especially without government subsidies...

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/business/2014/02/02/Westinghouse-backs-off-small-nuclear-plants/stories/201402020074#ixzz2tKUchStv

[madokie]

1. I think people are waking up to the fact the last thing we need is more of them

fukushima has shown the world or anyone who is paying attention that there is still a lot of questions, unanswered questions I might add, about their safety.
At this point in time there is no advantage to new nuclear power plants, in fact its counter productive as it takes away from energies that can be put towards safer and quicker modes of making our electricity

If there ever was a time for nuclear power, I don't think there ever was btw, its long gone now.