Even with the terrible events in Japan and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, demand for power remains as rapacious as ever. And as fossil fuels start running out, the need for sustainable energy is growing.
According to Bloomberg, nuclear power generation at two of the leading nuclear reactors in the United States has remained the same. This staying level could actually count as a decrease, since power generation nationwide actually increased over the last year, a sign of the public’s reluctance to embrace nuclear power.
The two nuclear reactors in question, Salem 1 and Salem 2, are located in New Jersey. The two are currently running at 90% capacity. Other nuclear power plants around the country are facing similar stagnation. A nuclear reactor, the Byron 1, lies inert 85 miles west of Chicago. It requires repairs. The Byron 2 plant, though, is operating at 96% capacity.The McGuire 2 reactor in North Carolina recently faced a control rod malfunction. The plant is currently shutdown until it can undergo troubleshooting and repair. The McGuire 1 unit is operating at maximum power, though.
According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the average nuclear reactor in the United States had a 41 day outage.
Hopefully the tragedy in Japan won’t chasten further shutdowns of nuclear power plants in America. Even though the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has faced an unforeseeable tragedy of epic proportions, it doesn’t mean that a similar thing will happen at other nuclear power plants. And nuclear power is cleaner than fossil fuel-based power generation.
