No Need For New Nukes In Maryland

	NOT ON OUR WATCH—In October 2006, Constellation Energy announced plans to build the nation’s largest nuclear power plant in southern Maryland on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, less than 50 miles southeast of Washington DC. Maryland PIRG Foundation is advocating against the new nuclear reactor and in favor of clean, safe and affordable energy solutions.

On March 6th Maryland PIRG Foundation launched its No New Nukes campaign with the release of the report “The High Cost of Nuclear Power: Why Maryland Can’t Afford a New Reactor”. The report makes the case against the construction of a new nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs due to the high financial, public health and environmental costs to our state.

Constellation Energy proposed constructing a 1,600 MW nuclear reactor next to the two reactors operating at Calvert Cliffs in October 2006. The proposed plant—larger than any existing nuclear reactor in the U.S.—would not be completed until well into the next decade, and would be licensed to operate for 40 years.

The financial costs of a new nuclear reactor are great. Constellation estimates that designing and building the plant will cost $2.5 to 5.0 billion. Nuclear industry officials have openly admitted that without subsidies, they would have no interest in building more nuclear power plants. Calvert County promised Constellation $300 million in tax breaks if the company builds a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs. If the new plant adds 450 full-time jobs in the county, the cost to taxpayers will be approximately $750,000 per job.

“Nuclear power plants are expensive for companies—and their ratepayers—to construct; federal subsidies mask much of this expense,” said Maryland PIRG Foundation policy advocate, Johanna Neumann.

Compared with energy efficiency and conservation, nuclear power is far from cost-effective. Studies conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that electricity use in Maryland could be reduced cost-effectively by 24 percent through energy efficiency over a period of 10 to 20 years, almost double the energy output of the proposed Calvert Cliffs reactor.

Despite widespread potential for clean renewable energy, Maryland does not generate any appreciable electricity from wind or solar power. By tapping its wind and solar resources, Maryland could increase generation from non-polluting sources at a modest cost.

Policy Recommendations:
• Policymakers at the state and local levels should refuse to offer Constellation subsidies for the new reactor, and the application and construction costs should not be added to the rate base paid by electricity consumers.

• Like Illinois, California and Wisconsin, Maryland should adopt a ban on construction of additional nuclear capacity unless the country has implemented a long-term solution for all radioactive waste that will be produced at a new plant.

• Instead of accepting dangerous nuclear power, Maryland should invest in energy efficiency programs and encourage the development of clean, renewable energy sources.

“Maryland can do better and we should refuse to accept the construction of a new nuclear reactor in our state,” said Neumann.

Download the full report.