Like the Mother of Invention

“In a move that could mark the beginning of a nuclear-power revival, a New Jersey-based energy company today plans to submit an application to build and operate two new reactors. The request, the first submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 31 years, comes from an unlikely source: NRG Energy Inc., a company that has never before built a nuclear plant…

“The nuclear agency has geared up for an expected flood of applications over the next 15 months, which could cover as many as 29 new reactors at 20 sites and represent a possible investment by the U.S. power industry of $60 billion to $90 billion. Companies are rushing to get their applications in quickly, hoping to qualify for potentially billions of dollars in federal incentives and loan guarantees offered in the Energy Policy Act of 2005…

“A decision by the commission could clear the path for NRG to go ahead with its plans. Congress has mostly encouraged the revival of nuclear energy, concluding the nation's aging nuclear fleet needs refreshing, though opposition could surface now that the industry appears to have momentum.

“The NRG application likely will revive debate about the wisdom of building more nuclear reactors, especially since the industry still doesn't have a federal repository for the radioactive waste from an existing U.S. fleet of 104 operating reactors...

“Still, the renewed optimism within the industry is noteworthy, given that it was virtually left for dead a decade ago, in the wake of safety worries stemming from the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island plant, huge cost overruns and disappointing operating performance. In the late 1990s, plants were practically being given away by frustrated operators…

“More recently, the industry has regained momentum, partly because other forms of power generation have continued to show significant flaws. Coal-fired plants undermine efforts to combat global warming. Many natural-gas-fired plants rely on a fuel with volatile prices. And renewable energy mostly comes from intermittent forces like wind, rain and sunlight.”

(“Nuclear Energy's Second Act?; Bid to Build Two New Reactors In Texas May Mark Resurgence; NRC Gears Up for Many More.” Rebecca Smith. Wall Street Journal: September 25, 2007. pg. B.1)

ENDURING truths remain in force. Everything has a price. What goes around, comes around. Yesterday's excesses become today's necessities. Nothing is free -- not yesterday, not today, never. And the greater the costs today, the more fervent the search tomorrow.