| Keep Indian Point
private
Editorial
The Poughkeepsie Journal
June 2, 2004
It's one thing for Westchester County officials to urge the
federal government to shut down the Indian Point nuclear power
complex. It's quite another to talk about buying the plant
themselves, decommissioning it and building a new natural
gas facility in its place.
For years, some environmental groups and residents have insisted
the Buchanan-based complex is a nuclear disaster waiting to
happen. But a takeover by Westchester would be very costly
-- with little guarantee it would eliminate much risk.
The owner, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, has invested heavily
in repairs and staff retraining. As a result, federal inspectors
have upgraded the Indian Point 2 reactor from the most unsafe
and worst-run in the nation to a ''green'' rating -- reserved
for facilities in optimum condition. Improvements at Indian
Point 3 are moving forward as well.
Yet Westchester has already shelled out $385,000 to hire
a consultant to advise them on the buy-and-shutdown idea.
The total shutdown cost has been estimated at an astonishing
$3 billion.
It could take that much just to buy the complex from Entergy.
A spokesman for the company, which took ownership in 2001
for $1 billion, says it isn't really interested in selling,
but might think about it if Westchester's offer were high
enough.
Even if the county does buy Indian Point, plenty of nuclear
risk would remain. By law, certain highly radioactive material
must stay on site, possibly for decades. Extremely flammable
canisters of spent fuel could be removed, but they would have
to be transported away along local highways -- surely raising
stiff resistance from environmental and citizens groups.
Building a new power plant wouldn't come cheap, either --
a new power plant in Athens, Columbia County, cost $550 million.
The new plant would have to burn natural gas, which pollutes
the air far less than oil or coal. But, with gas prices way
up, electricity from gas-fired plants costs a lot more than
nuclear-generated power.
Westchester officials have already spent $385,000 on an unworkable
idea. It makes much more sense to leave Indian Point in private
hands.
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