According to a recent NPR report, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)–owned Browns Ferry nuclear plant has been restarted after being shut down for 22 years. It’s an example of how U.S. utilities are showing interest in nuclear power as they search for "clean" energy sources. Revamping the plant cost $1.8 billion. The TVA believes this $1.8 billion will have a return on investment within the next 4-5 years due to increasing energy demands. However, there are doubters about nuclear power. Steven Smith, Executive Director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy thinks that Browns Ferry is hardly the poster child for nuclear energy. Browns Ferry came the closest to a nuclear meltdown in the industry’s history in 1975 (second only to the 3-Mile Island incident in 1979) and it’s been shut down for 22 years. The big question for Smith: “Is this the best way to spend nearly $2 billion dollars?” He suggested investing the money for alternative energy sources, as nuclear power plants are already expensive to maintain, plagued with waste disposal issues and targeted for terrorists attacks. by
Erin Swanson
Eswanson@enviance.com | 
