U.S. nuclear power sets world standard
Editor, the Tribune: The assumption that older nuclear power plants and an alleged lack of oversight are creating unsafe and unreliable power (“Aging nukes,” Aug. 7) is simply untrue. Nuclear power plants are rigorously licensed and inspected by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent agency recognized globally as the best nuclear energy regulator in the world. It is often emulated by other governments.
The NRC has 100 percent access to every worker, email, file and safety system in every reactor 365 days a year, without notice, subject only to national security confidentiality. Having been on the receiving end of NRC inspections of both the University of Missouri campus radioactive material use license and the MU Research Reactor licenses, I can attest to the rigor of this process. We welcome this strict, daily oversight by the NRC because it’s their job to hold us accountable. As such, we work closely with the NRC to ensure that all regulations are complied with — and exceeded. Because of this, nuclear energy facilities are operating at higher levels of safety and productivity than ever before. The power industry’s average capacity factor — a measure of efficiency — has been within close to 90 percent for the past decade. It is impossible to achieve this level of performance consistently if the facility is not well managed and well maintained.
William H. Miller,
professor MU Research Reactor
1513 Research Park Drive
