"enthusiasm for a nuclear future was muted at an industry conference Tuesday"

[bananas]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-wed-nuclear-energy-debate-may07,0,1127096.story

Cost slows nuclear plant drive
Tab has doubled in past year as uncertainties rise

By Joshua Boak | Tribune Reporter
May 7, 2008

As crude oil briefly leapt Tuesday to a record $122.73 a barrel, and one analyst suggested the price might soon reach $200, America would seem poised for a nuclear power resurgence.

But enthusiasm for a nuclear future was muted at an industry conference Tuesday in Chicago, as executives acknowledged financial, regulatory and waste storage hurdles have raised uncertainties about costs. Other factors increasing the expense of construction include high demand for nuclear plants in emerging countries, along with limited supplies of reactor parts and increased prices for iron, steel and concrete.

As a result, the estimated price of a nuclear reactor has more than doubled, to upward of $9 billion, in less than a year, according to industry estimates.

"I am emotionally biased but economically objective about this," said John Rowe, chief executive of Chicago-based Exelon Corp., the country's largest nuclear operator. "Realistic expectations about the 'renaissance' of nuclear power suggest that it will unfold slowly over time."

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