Areva, the French nuclear, giant, has signed a letter of intent
to build up to two nuclear plants near Fresno, California.
California has a ban on new nuclear plants in the state but
Areva believes the law will fade away under the state's demand
for more clean power. Each plant could produce 1.6 gigawatts and
the whole thing could cost between $5 and $8 billion. Sez the
Los Angeles Times: The agreement with Areva is expected to be
finalized in March, said John Hutson, chief executive of the
Fresno Nuclear Energy Group, a partnership of local business
executives and farmers. Once that's done, the two potential
partners would begin a site selection and evaluation process
that could take as long as two years, he said. Will it happen?
Hard to say. Nuclear advocates say that the U.S. will need 25 to
30 new nuclear plants by 2030 to just keep nuclear at 20 percent
of the energy budget. The U.S. could ultimately need 187 new
reactors by 2050 to meet its climate goals, they add, although
nuclear advocates admit that'