Climate change bill to boost nuclear plants

Nearly half of the nation’s nuclear power plants stand to earn a windfall if the climate-change bill passed by the House becomes law.

The legislation, which passed by a narrow vote in June, would open the way for nuclear plants operating in states that have unregulated electricity markets to charge much higher prices than they currently do. The price increases would translate directly into higher profits for nuclear-plant operators – reaching into the billions of dollars a year.

Under the House-passed bill, power facilities that run on fossil fuels such as coal would have to pay for the right to pollute, specifically to emit carbon dioxide, raising their operating costs, perhaps significantly. The “pay-to-pollute” system would result in higher electricity prices on the open market.

Because operating costs for nuclear plants would be unaffected by the House bill, nuclear plant operators would see higher prices for their product – at least in some markets – while their production costs remain flat, resulting in big profits to the bottom line.

Washington Times