U.S. Nuclear Comeback Stalls as Two Reactors Are Abandoned
By BRAD PLUMERJULY 31, 2017
In a major blow to the future of nuclear power in the United States, two South Carolina utilities said on Monday
that they would abandon two unfinished nuclear reactors in the state, putting an end to a project that was once expected to showcase advanced nuclear technology but has since been plagued by delays and cost overruns.
Facing those pressures, the two owners of the project, South Carolina Electric & Gas
and Santee Cooper, announced they would halt construction rather than saddle customers with additional costs.
President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, finalized in 2015, would have given South Carolina
and Georgia credit against their state climate goals for finishing the new reactors, which may have persuaded local regulators to stick with the project.
The South Carolina utilities selected an advanced reactor design from Westinghouse Electric
Company, the AP1000, reported to have more safety features than earlier models.
“Many factors outside our control have changed since inception of this project,” Kevin Marsh, the chief
executive of Scana Corporation, which owns South Carolina Electric & Gas, said in a statement.
Toshiba agreed to pay $2.2 billion in exchange for being released from the South Carolina project, but utility officials said
that was unlikely to be sufficient to finish the reactors.