A Nuclear Showdown in Baltimore

The nuclear debate is heating up in Maryland.

UniStar Energy, a joint venture between France's EDF and a local utility, is seeking approval for a 1.6-gigawatt power plant in the state, according to VentureBeat, as well as a portion of the $18.5 billion in funds for advanced nuclear research. Alhough UniStar has obtained key approval from some federal and state agencies, opponents say it will give a company owned by a foreign government too much say in rates (even though EDF is already involved in a few other joint ventures in the U.S. like Enxco and has a strong safety record).

More importantly, the opponents charge that the construction costs will run be more than double the $7 billion estimate. Cost overruns are epidemic in nuclear. At a recent conference, Amory Lovins from the Rocky Mountain Institute charged that nuclear, when the overruns are added, actually cost more than wind.

Some companies and national labs are trying to circumvent some of these problems with small, modular reactors, but final versions of those won't be ready for another few years.