First New Nuclear Plant in US in 30 years

Hugh Pickens writes "With backing from the White House and congressional leaders, and subsidies like the $500 million in risk insurance from the Department of Energy, the nuclear industry is experiencing a revival in the US. Scientific American reports that this week NRG Energy filed an application for the first new nuclear power plant in the US in thirty years to build two advanced boiling water reactors (ABWR) at its South Texas nuclear power plant site doubling the 2700 megawatts presently generated at the facility. The ABWR, based on technology already operating in Japan, works by using the heat generated by the controlled splitting of uranium atoms in fuel rods to directly boil water into steam to drive turbines producing electricity. Improvements over previous designs include removing water circulation pipes that could rupture and accidentally drain water from the reactor, exposing the fuel rods to a potential meltdown, and fewer pumps to move the water through the system. NRG projects it will spend $6 billion constructing the two new reactors and hopes to have the first unit online by 2014."

Comments

Simple question

[l0cust]

Well, everyone knows that, actually anyone with an inkling of sense knows that Nuclear Power will play an important role in satisfying the energy demands of the future. Now, my question is this:

Why a country which has oil as the biggest(only?) source of income trying to develop alternative energy sources is evil only because it can be used by the radical elements to create a nuclear weapon somehow? Yeah I understand the situation with all the flashy rheoterics flying about but, from their point of view, they are taking a step in the right direction to safeguard the future when the oil runs out. Moreover, even all the oil in their land will not be able to do certain tasks (say power a space mission in some distant future) unless they have a better energy source. We like to point out their seemingly backwards looking policies and rules but when they do something like working on a nuclear reactor, its suddenly dangerous, too dangerous to let them handle it.

I am not trying to troll but can someone please point out the justification for it without getting into any religious tirade. (We can leave the whole issue of whether getting nukes does or does not give any country a sort of bargaining power or not, if that troubles anyone)

Disclaimer: No, I am not from Iran. (I am not even a muslim, not that it matters or should matter)