Nuclear Remains a Safe, Clean, Affordable Way Forward
While we continue to monitor the tragic situation in Japan, we remain committed to our belief that nuclear power must remain an option to address Missouri’s future energy needs. Instead of discarding the possibility of nuclear power, we must examine what happened in Japan and work to learn as much from this crisis as possible so that we avoid a similar situation in the future.
It is important to remember that one of the key aspects of the early site permit process we’re supporting in the Missouri General Assembly right now is a seismology review, as well as reviews of other types of natural disaster scenarios. These reviews are specifically required to analyze site-related risks and must be completed before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will issue a permit.
All of the nuclear power plants operating in the U.S. are required to have similar evacuation and emergency response procedures in place that would protect any residents in the event of an emergency. Additionally, plants constructed today in the U.S. are required meet stricter regulations and safety requirements and utilize newer technology. In fact, a study using NRC data ranked all of the United States’ nuclear facilities in order of risk of damage from a potential earthquake. Of the 104 nuclear plants, the Callaway plant ranked 104th meaning it is the least likely to suffer any risk of damage from an earthquake.
As Missouri prepares to meet increasing electricity demand with decreasing supply from coal, nuclear power must remain an option for Missouri’s energy future. The nuclear site permit bill keeps open the option of nuclear power in Missouri, which may be the most affordable way to safely meet our electricity demand.
