Monday, November 22, 2010

Possible New Reactor in Green River, Utah

The Emery County corporation has started to push the limits of its current energy infrastructure in Utah. Because of this, there has been a serious effort to construct a new nuclear facility near the town of Green River. The planned design would be a power plant with a pair of reactors that would generate 1,500 megawatts each. The nuclear powerplant would be a boon to the nearby community as well as the state of Utah with the positions that it would be able to offer people in its construction as well as its operation.

However, the plant has met opposition as opponents have attempted to prevent the facility from getting rights to water from the Green River that would be used for cooling. Most of the water that is circulated within a light water reactor is then returned to its source, while only a small amount of water is actually evaporated during the cooling process.

If this planned reactor goes forward, it would mark the first time since the 1970s that the construction of a new nuclear reactor was completed. If this project is successful, it might help revive nuclear energy in the US by encouraging the construction of new reactors in other locations. In any case, this is a promising sign that the "nuclear renaissance" will be more than just words.

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