Study: Cost of New Reactors Huge, Requires Taxpayer Subsidies

Dr. Cooper said: "We are literally seeing nuclear reactor history repeat itself. The 'Great Bandwagon Market' that ended so badly for consumers in the1970s and1980s was driven by advocates who confused hope and hype with reality." The study finds that new reactor costs are now more than four times greater than original "renaissance" projections.

Also commenting, former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Peter Bradford said, "This study makes clear that new nuclear reactors can only be built if taxpayers or customers assume the very large risks that investors would normally bear in the U.S. economy."

Dr. Cooper and Commissioner Bradford can be heard commenting on the report in an audio streaming from the Vermont Law School website. For a press release on the report, see here.

What You Can Do: Call your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative via the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to inform them about this new report, and urge them to oppose any further nuclear power subsidies. 

Report from Beyond Nuclear, www.beyondnuclear.org

To read a report on the Vermont Law School study's findings by Mark Cooper, open pdf: