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Nuclear plants divide crowd at Crystal River hearing

By Asjylyn Loder, Times Staff Writer
In print: Thursday, April 24, 2008

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What's true of brussels sprouts and musicals holds true of Progress Energy's $17-billion nuclear plan for Levy County: You either love it or you hate it.

More than 100 people turned out for a public hearing in Crystal River late Wednesday to voice their opinion about the new nuclear plant. The Public Service Commission listened patiently as residents lined up one after the other.

Some hailed the project as an economic boon, providing new taxes and much-needed jobs. One woman went so far as to call it "darling." Others worried about its water use, nuclear waste and the inevitable growth that will follow the plant to Levy County.

Ron Kitchen, mayor of Crystal River, was among the first to line up to welcome Progress Energy's investment. "From the elected officials here in Crystal River, we are 100 percent behind this project," he said.

"Well, I probably should say 99 percent," Kitchen joked. "We wanted it here in Crystal River."

Robert Brinkman, with the Suwannee-St. Johns group of the Sierra Club, took the opposing view.

Nuclear power is prone to accidents and has serious security vulnerabilities, he said. Plus, the United States has yet to figure out how to safely store nuclear waste for the long term.

"The customers and taxpayers should not bear all the cost and risk for the benefit of investors and shareholders," Brinkman said.

Progress Energy plans to build two 1,100-megawatt nuclear reactors in southern Levy County, on U.S. 19 about 10 miles north of its Crystal River nuclear plant.

The St. Petersburg utility estimates that the reactors will cost $14-billion and that transmission lines to carry the power will cost an additional $3-billion. The utility plans to have the first reactor operating in 2016, the second in 2017.

Customers could start seeing the impact in their power bills once the commission approves the plant. Florida law allows utilities to recoup certain nuclear construction costs years before the plant comes online. The average Progress Energy residential customer could see a charge of nearly $9 on their monthly bills as early as next year.

The Public Service Commission plans three more days of hearings in Tallahassee in late May. Public comment will be taken on the first day, May 21. The commission expects to issue its decision July 15.