For Immediate release: Contact:
11:00 a.m. Jacob
Koetsier
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 609-394-8155
x.313
New Report: Nuclear
Power Too Costly to Solve America’s Energy Crisis
Per Dollar of Investment, Clean Energy Delivers
Far More Than Nuclear Power
Atlantic City, NJ – Dollar for dollar, investment in a clean
energy portfolio, including energy efficiency and renewable resources, can
deliver more energy than nuclear power, according to a new report released
today by the New Jersey Public Interest research Group.
The report, The High Cost of Nuclear Power, finds that since
2005, cost estimates for building a new nuclear reactor have more than tripled.
In June 2008, the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission estimated that building a new 1,000 megawatt reactor
could cost up to $7.5 billion. The
cost of building
all currently planned nuclear power plants could be potentially be as high as
$300 billion.
“Incredibly, nuclear power
companies are counting on consumers and taxpayers to bear the risks of reactor
construction,” said Jacob Koetsier, legislative advocate with NJPIRG. “It does not make economic sense
to subsidize an industry that has, over the past two decades, failed to show
that it is a sound investment.”
The report highlights a
dollar to dollar comparison of investing in nuclear power versus energy
efficiency measures and clean energy sources, pointing out:
-
Energy efficiency measures
can deliver greater than five times more electricity than nuclear power.
-
Combined heat and power can
generate nearly four times more energy than nuclear power.
-
Wind farms can produce as much as 100 percent more
electricity than nuclear power.
-
A solar thermal power plant in the southwestern U.S. –
capable of storing heat to generate electricity even when the sun isn’t shining
– can deliver as much as one-third more energy than a nuclear reactor
“Investing in clean energy
solutions rather than a fleet of new nuclear power plants would yield greater
benefits for America,” said Koetsier.
“Directing $300 billion into
energy efficiency could eliminate growth in America’s electricity consumption
through 2030 and save consumers more than $600 billion.”
###
New Jersey PIRG is a statewide, nonprofit non partisan
citizen-based advocacy organization.
