New Nuclear in Utah?

Get all the details from Idaho Samizdat.

Comments

Some of the comments at the link raise ethical questions about the prinicpals.

Seems to me that Dr. Diaz is clean on this. As a former chairman and professor emeritus of nuclear engineering (he was my faculty advisor), he can certainly advise potential licensees about the process and the engineering. He can even be a principal at this stage.

A potential conflict MIGHT arise years down the road if he lobbied the NRC during the license application process or during operation. However, the project is certainly YEARS from that stage and I believe there is a temporal limitation of such restrictions.

Transition Power is talking about a new industry structure for nuclear where project developers get the ball rolling then sell the project to bigger money at some stage when the political risks are clearer and the economics can pass due diligence.

This business model happens all the time with independent power producers and especially with renewables. The guys in Fresno California and Boise Idaho are trying something similar with their nuclear projects.

I'll let Utahans judge the ethics of their own politicians!

October 19, 2007 at 3:29 PM

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