President Obama to offer nuclear plant loan guarantees

Next week President Obama is expected to offer loan guarantees for two nuclear power plants. This represents $14 billion of the $54 billion available for NPPs in the 2011 budget. This project is expected to employ 3,000 people during construction and 850 people to operate and maintain the NPPs.

This will be the first time in over 30 years we have built a NPP. Today America has 103 NPPs that are producing 20% of our electricity. That means our newest NPP is at least 30 years old. Imagine how out date these NPPs must be. As someone who has been involved in manufacturing his entire career I can tell you there is very little we do the way we did 30 years ago.

I support the President's decision on this and hope he is able to move forward on the construction of these NPPs. However many of the people that supported him during the campaign may not support nuclear power.


How do you feel about President Obama’s decision?

Nuclear Power at Mt Baker Washington?

There is a wonderful ski area in Washington called Mt Baker. MB has been in business for over 70 years. They are off the grid. Every winter diesel / electric generators are trucked there and run 24/7 from November to May. Windmills and solar panels are not an option. The crowd there tends to lean left. Ironically they appear to accept these polluting generators. People are buying lift tickets.

I believe Mt Baker could use a small nuclear reactor. A power line could be run to Bellingham and MB could sell electricity to the grid in the summer. This project is not without risk. However MBs carbon footprint would be next to zero. Mini nuclear reactors are available today.


It seems likely the permit process and public opinion would kill this project before the first kilowatt will be produced at the competitive price of 5 cents per KWH. That is half the average American price.

How do you feel about a nuclear reactor at Mt Baker?