The U.S. has 23 GE Mark 1 reactors like the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 which exploded and released radiation over the weekend — including the Fermi II plant in Michigan.
The Heritage Foundation sent around an e-mail today claiming that the events unfolding in Japan should have no impact on plans to expand nuclear power in the U.S.
“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not need to regulate more in response to this,“ the Foundation said in Morning Bell: Nuclear Facts to Remember While Following Japan. “We need to remember that nuke plants are privately owned and that their owners have every incentive to maintain safe operations. The government’s role should simply be to set and enforce fair, efficient, and effective safety and environmental standards and allow private industry to meet them.”
“The plant in trouble in Japan is over 40 years old.” the foundation said. “Today’s designs are far more advanced.”
Reuters, however, reports that there are there are 23 GE Mark 1 reactors operating in the U.S. now and five of them are at least 40 years old.
Reactor Location Size (MW) Year
Browns Ferry 1 Decatur, AL 1065 1974
Browns Ferry 2 Decatur, AL 1104 1975
Browns Ferry 3 Decatur, AL 1105 1977
Brunswick 1 Southport, NC 938 1976
Brunswick 2 Southport, NC 920 1975
Cooper Nebraska City, NE 770 1974
Dresden 2 Morris, IL 867 1970
Dresden 3 Morris, IL 867 1971
Duane Arnold Cedar Rapids, IA 580 1975
Hatch 1 Baxley, GA 876 1975
Hatch 2 Baxley, GA 883 1979
Fermi 2 Monroe, MI 1122 1988
Hope Creek Hancock’s Brdg, NJ 1161 1986
Fitzpatrick Oswego, NY 854 1976
Monticello Monticello, MN 572 1971
Nine Mile Point 1 Oswego, NY 621 1969
Oyster Creek Toms River, NJ 615 1969
Peach Bottom 2 Lancaster, PA 1112 1974
Peach Bottom 3 Lancaster, PA 1112 1974
Pilgrim Plymouth, MA 685 1972
Quad Cities 1 Moline, IL 867 1972
Quad Cities 2 Moline, IL 867 1972
Vermont Yankee Vernon, VT 620 1972
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