The Demise of Nuclear Power: What Comes Next?

The article discusses the potential of nuclear power in the contemporary situation. Massive cost overruns, slowly-growing demand and high interest rates dealt heavy blows to nuclear power in the 1980s. Energy conservation and renewable sources now prove less costly. Commercial nuclear power has a short history. Not until the early 1950s did either the United States or the Soviet Union launch major R&D programs to commercialize nuclear power; they were followed by Canada, France, Great Britain and West Germany each pursuing its own technology. But progress was slow: the engineering required was unexpectedly challenging, and all countries had difficulty going from prototypes to commercial plants. Electricity rates in the United States have more than tripled in the past ten years after being quite stable during the previous decade. Much of the increase stems from higher fuel prices, but rising nuclear construction costs have become an increasingly important factor. With such stories dominating headlines in many parts of the country, it is hardly surprising that a revival of reactor orders does not appear imminent.