Nuke Reactors Closing

[Ben]

I knew several reactors across the country were having issues meeting all the ridiculous regulations, but this is the first I've heard of plants closing because they can't compete with alternative energy. I can buy the "can't afford to get up to environmental specs" argument, but barring environmental regulation costs, and not counting taxpayer subsidies for alternative energy, I find it hard to believe nuke can't compete with alternative energy, especially over the long haul.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/02/vermont-reactor-closing-signals-death-knoll-for-aging-nukes-what-replaces-them/

[RevDisk]

Not hard. Refuse to let operators relatively easily update their equipment, and load them down with near impossible red tape. Then subsidize alt energy.

[Ben]

Not hard. Refuse to let operators relatively easily update their equipment, and load them down with near impossible red tape. Then subsidize alt energy.

Yeah, I should have more clearly stated that I can understand this happening in the current regulatory and environmental environment. Given a level playing field though, nuke should kick the butts of most other energy sources.

[Fly320s]

Yep. Vermont Yankee is closing their plant. Came as a surprise to my friend who works there.

[never_retreat]

That plant is very old and has only reactor, making the overall cost of maintenance high.
I think it was built in 1972. There are only a few that old still operating.