Surge in nuclear power likely

The industry may benefit from federal incentives and global warming concerns

The white cloud that billows from the tower at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant contains the essence of a nuclear energy revival.

The cloud is just cool water vapor, pure and simple, and it's why the once-feared and criticized energy source is gaining new interest. As attention focuses on air pollutants that are linked to global climate change, nuclear energy's "clean" emissions are looking good again.

When Progress Energy announced last week it would seek a license to build up to two new reactors at Shearon Harris in southwestern Wake County, it joined a growing list of power companies that are considering restarting their nuclear construction programs.

A confluence of events has spurred the renewed interest in nuclear energy. Power companies face tougher pollution limits on coal- and gas-fueled power plants, and they worry about the prospect of new limits on greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Then last year, federal incentives for nuclear power made construction appear more feasible.

Such attention to nuclear power comes after a quarter-century lull, the result of the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. The accident raised public fear and distrust, and caused utilities to cancel existing orders for new reactors.

Critics say fears of radiation leaks and accidents continue to be justified. In addition, the industry faces unresolved questions about the long-term disposal of the radioactive waste that nuclear power plants produce.

But such concerns are dampened by growing alarm over global warming. Scientists know human activities such as burning of coal and gas are contributing to rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They think the buildup of greenhouse gases, which trap heat, are contributing to global warming but are still debating how quickly temperatures will increase and how much.

As Progress officials look at what kind of regulations would probably apply to a new power plant built to start running about 2015, a nuclear plant's lack of air emissions holds appeal. The company will make a final decision in about two years.

"The higher the likelihood of carbon regulations, the less likely you are to build a coal plant and the more likely you are to build a nuclear plant," said Bill Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Progress Energy, which has its headquarters in Raleigh. "We are planning as if there will be a carbon-constrained future."

Such constraints are already forming. In December, for example, seven northeastern states reached a regional agreement to cut 10 percent of carbon emissions from power plants by 2019. It may presage similar curbs on carbon in other parts of the country or an eventual federal cap.

Growth and power

The need for more power plants to produce electricity is driven by growth, and it's no surprise that the Southeast is leading the revival of interest in nuclear energy. It has been among the nation's fastest-growing areas, and it is projected to account for more than half the nation's population growth between 2000 and 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Progress said more than 550 people per week moved into its service area in North and South Carolina in 2005. The utility expects 300,000 more customers to arrive in the next 10 years.

That rising demand for power has prompted nine power companies, seven with headquarters in the South, to seek licenses or express strong interest in new nuclear reactors. Twelve of the 13 new reactors proposed so far would be in the region. Some applications are for more than one reactor unit.