Entergy ponders nuclear future When the magnitude 9 earthquake
and resulting tsunami devastated much of northern Japan on March
11, it was a human catastrophe of almost unimaginable
proportion. But it was the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plant that potentially had the greatest
implications for the United States and power companies including
Entergy that generate significant electricity with nuclear
power. Although the situation in Japan has not yet been
stabilized, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said there is no
evidence that overheating during the last month has resulted in
any melting of the reactor vessels or their containment
structures. The New York Times reported April 5 that federal
officials believe the plant is unlikely to suffer a complete
meltdown, in which uranium fuel gets so hot that it melts
through the bottom of the reactor and containment vessels,
spewing high-level radiation into the plant’s underlying
foundation. If that assessment is correct, then significant
additional