Nuclear

When it comes to regulations it is necessary to balance quality with quantity. It is not possible to make a perfect product so guidelines are established to produce safe products at acceptable cost. South Korea has 26 nuclear reactors which provide one-third of the countries power. Their most recent plant was just completed in 56 months at a cost of $3,571 per kW. The US has built only one nuclear power plant since 1980 and that was just finished in April. It took 15 years to build and cost $19,784 per kW. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was created as an independent agency by Congress in 1974 to ensure the safe use of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and the environment A good argument could be made that the agency is trying for perfect in an imperfect world. Others suggest that the regulators are being influenced by anti nuclear groups like Green Peace, the fossil fuel industry and wind and solar proponents.