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Today's Poll!Workers lobby lawmakers for nuke plant site permit
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Around 70 people who might help build a future Callaway County nuclear power plant walked the halls of the Missouri Capitol Wednesday, telling lawmakers why they should support proposals to help Ameren Missouri and other electric companies start the federal application process for a plant license.
“This is a great long-term solution that provides a lot of employment for the entire state of Missouri,” freshman Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, told the group before they began visiting the lawmakers.
The lobbying effort was organized by the group “Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future.”
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Comments
3blindmice 2 years, 3 months ago
that kind of money would be better spent on building a smart grid system.
tonto 2 years, 3 months ago
We need both, but the smart grid is not a Missouri project and it will be built with or without the Callaway 2 nuclear plant. The Callaway 2 plant, in addition to supplying huge amounts of relatively cheap electricity, will create good jobs for a lot of people in the middle part of the state for several years and if you have been paying attention, you know that's the single most important thing we need right now.
muleman 2 years, 3 months ago
Actually Tonto, unit #1 had construction workers from all over the midwest. Some from the east coast too, So its not only jobs for Missouri workers
tonto 2 years, 3 months ago
Muleman, it's true that many of the workers on Callaway 1 were not from fourth-generation German-immigrant families. They moved here for the duration of their jobs. There were a number of plants being built, and workers moved from one plant to the next where their skills were needed. While they were here, though, they spent their money here, paid taxes here, and went to church here. They were very good for the economy here.
rodinman 2 years, 3 months ago
Let Ameren and its stockholders bear the financial costs and associated risks.
whocares 2 years, 3 months ago
Rodinman- and then when it's built you will pay more for it. Do the math.
rodinman 2 years, 3 months ago
I'll gladly pay more when it is built -- if it is built. there is no guarantee they will build the plant after getting the money from the consumers.
Whocares, would you mind paying for a store I might build it ten or twenty years to sell widgets. I promise to sell them to you at a discount. Rhetorical.
JCLifer 2 years, 3 months ago
We are going to need the elctricity with the ever-increasing demand. Skilled labor is plentiful right now. Materials will never be cheaper. Financing will never be cheaper. Our area needs the jobs from the workers and support services that this project will provide. We need to get building this thing right now!
Don't let the benefits of such a huge construction project go to another area of the country. This thing would be a HUGE boost for central Missouri economy.
Basic economics: the customer pays for everything. Better to pay for it now then to pay for it later at a much higher rate. If you think the shareholders of Ameren will be profitable from this project (not sure why you think this) you are free to buy as much share ownership of publicly-traded Ameren as you want. You can benefit in this as a shareholder too, assuming the shareholders benefit from this project.
THERE! NO EXCUSES! BUILD THIS THING NOW!!!
Gotigers 2 years, 3 months ago
I am all for a new nuclear plant IF the company that benefits from it PAYS FOR IT!!! Are you kidding me a private company wants the tax payer to pick up the tab so they can charge more and make more money for themselves? Is this American or did I wake up in France?
JCLifer 2 years, 3 months ago
Electrical power generation and distribution is not a free enterprise in this country. The government strongly regulates every aspect of the business, including rates, building plants, etc. Yes, it is a socialistic system- not good, not bad- just the way it is.
the government is deeply involved-- and they will continue to be deeply involved. The question here is are you willing to pay a little more now, or pay a whole lot more later? You will pay-- that much is for sure.
BigRedOne 2 years, 3 months ago
It's not just Ameren that is going to fund this project but all the utilities in the State of Missouri including the Rural Electric Coops. Construction may not start in the next couple of years but you can bet that the Coops and the rest of the Missouri utilities would not be putting money into this project if they didn't expect to benefit from it. If the QWIP bill would have passed last year there would already be preliminary work on Callaway 2. Don’t let Noranda Aluminum and Anheuser Busch InBev sway you into thinking there will be these enormous rate increases when they are only in this for short term gain.
CriticalPath 2 years, 3 months ago
This method of funding a new nuclear power plant in our state is necessary, as evidenced by the number of utilities, politicians and citizens behind it. Yes, I would rather have private investment to lessen the risk, but the investor’s time line for return is just too narrow and their risk aversion too low for project of this magnitude, as evidenced by what happened with UniStar late last year.
The rub comes from the inevitable truth that schedule and cost over-runs will inevitably come out of the rate payer’s pocket, especially true under the pay upfront financing plan being suggested. These over-runs have the potential to be astronomical. It’s also no secret that the key to this or any major project success lays with its ability to stay on schedule and on budget. Having a successful project of this scale is achievable if it’s properly managed from day one using open and transparent processes. Unfortunately this might not be possible given the current state of affairs at UniStar/EPR, which Ameren/Callaway 2 is tied to.
UniStar and the EPR design are now fully managed by EDF who is struggling with significant problems and delays in the approval process. The problem begins with the fact EDF is a nuclear plant operator, not a plant designer and not a construction manager. EDF’s recent track record in designing and managing the Flamanville EPR project by themselves, on French soil speaks for itself. AREVA, the designer/engineer of the EPR, is not a good candidate to manage the project, as evidenced by their Finnish project. To further illustrate the problem, in China two new EPR plants are preceding on and ahead of schedule and on budget. The difference is China is managing their own project based on their knowledge of nuclear plant const, putting EDF and Areva in their proper positions. The Chinese example most likely will not be replicated at Callaway 2 because EDF is in complete control of UniStar. Their ‘Team France” plans to do it “their way” significantly raises the risk they will repeat their mistakes from Flamanville and Olkiluoto at Callaway 2. This point was driven home when EDF recently told US regulators that they could circumvent US regulations concerning US ownership.
I am neither anti-EDF nor EPR. However, if Missouri is to put rate payers at risk by paying for a new nuclear plant up front, we should also take solid steps to minimize that risk up front. I believe it would be beneficial for Missouri rate payers if Ameren, the PSC and our legislative body to take a hard look at how such a major undertakings are properly set up and managed to success, putting those conditions on approval of the current financing proposal. There are plenty of examples of both the right way and wrong way, available to anyone who cares to look. The last thing we need to assume as rate payers, regulators or principles is that someone else read the book and is managing our destiny properly
hudson 2 years, 3 months ago
40 million dollars for a permit ! How much of that to lawyers?
JCLifer 2 years, 3 months ago
Ameren does not have to build a new nuclear plant to remain profitable. They can just continue buying the power (at a higher price) from some other company located elsewhere and pass along the costs to the Ameren's consumers.
Building a power plant is more about where do you want the jobs to be for building it, not about how much Ameren is going to make. Ameren would probably be happy to just buy and resell. However, we have one hell of an opportunity here to get a huge construction project started HERE IN CENTRAL MISSOURI, as well as keep the long-term operating jobs and support services here in central missouri.
If we are smart, we will want to have the JOBS HERE IN CENTRAL MISSOURI.
Don't worry too much about paying for it-- if you don't want to pay a little now to get a whole bunch of jobs and economic activity here in central Missouri, I'm sure you won't mind paying a whole lot later for Ameren to purchase the power from other companies. Of course your children and their children will also pay a whole lot more too, just because we were not smart enough to build it here in central Missouri now while the costs of labor, materials, and financing are cheaper than they will be to build it somewhere else at a later date.
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