Nuclear Costs Underestimated

A recent study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the U.S. government underestimates the cost of decommissioning nuclear power plants. “The Government Accountability Office scrutinized 12 of the nation’s 104 power reactors and found that for 5 of them, the decommissioning cost calculated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was 76 percent or less of what the reactor’s owner thought would be needed.” [New York Times] For example, the NRC estimated the cost of decommissioning the Indian Point 3 reactor in Buchanan, N.Y. at $474.2 million, significantly lower than the reactors owner’s estimate of $836.45 million. Representative Ed… [more]