A Nuclear Renaissance - The Rebirth of Nuclear Power in the United States

摘要

THE LAST CONSTRUCTION LICENSE FOR A NUCLEAR POWER STATION IN THE United States was issued in 1978. That station, Sharon Harris near Raleigh, North Carolina, was originally conceived to be four units and was eventually finished, but only after it was reduced in size to a single unit. Other plants did not fare as well. Blue Hills (Texas), Cherokee (North Carolina), Sterling (New York), and many others were never started. Some, including Zimmer (Ohio) and Midland (Michigan), were started but never finished. High costs, lengthy construction schedules, overly optimistic electric consumption growth rates, and, finally, public perception over the accident at Three Mile Island almost killed the nuclear power industry.