Dirty Dozen OVERVIEW
Nuclear energy proponents are hoping the NuScale’s design for a 12 small modular nuclear reactor power plant can revive the dying nuclear industry. The industry wants to use Idaho as the test case for this novel, never before tested technology. Doing so, however, depends upon overwhelming taxpayer expense (so far taxpayers have chipped in $225 million just for the initial design). Stop the Dirty Dozen aims to stop this dangerous, expensive, wasteful, and unnecessary project!
For more than 20 years, the nuclear industry has been promising a “nuclear renaissance,” but energy markets have all but stopped building nuclear power plants and are forcing aging, unprofitable reactors to close worldwide. In response, the nuclear industry has been touting small modular reactors, contending that the lower initial purchase price plus the potential for mass production will launch new opportunities.
NuScale’s nuclear plant would be built on public land at Idaho National Laboratory. Originally, the nuclear power plant would have consisted of twelve nuclear reactors. As of January 2021 and after working hard on our Stop the Dirty Dozen campaign, the project has lost 50% of it’s subscribers and NuScale is now discussing downsizing to six nuclear reactors. The power plant would be owned by Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), a Utah political subdivision and a 45-member energy collective, which has no experience with nuclear energy. UAMPS hopes to build and operate the first reactor by 2024, with the entire plant online by 2027.