Here’s graphic evidence of the unreliability of nuclear power.
See for yourself on LAKE Nuclear Power Status, which daily draws graphs from Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) data.
These examples are for reactors run by Southern Nuclear, which is the nuclear unit of Southern Company, which has only six units operational. About every other month one or another of them is down. Continue reading
Back in April Southern Company CEO Thomas A. Fanning gave yet another version of his stump speech that we saw at the shareholders’ meeting in May and that he’s video blogging on YouTube now. In April he emphasized a huge assumption with no evidence; an assumption that may just not be true.
National Energy Policy – Part 5 of 7 (30 April 2012)
This much we know: demand for electricity will increase. The Energy Information Administration projects an 18% increase in electricity demand nationally and in the southeast, we’re as expecting as much as a 25% increase over the next 20 years. So we know the need is real, immediate, and critical.
Really? Here’s recent electricity use and nearterm forcast by the U.S. Energy Information Administration:
Sure looks to me like there was a big dip in 2009, and projected use in 2013 is no higher than in 2007. What was that about “immediate”?
Now you may say, of course, that’s a recession. But what about this?
Continue reading 
Since our coverage of the Southern Company (SO) shareholders meeting in May, SO CEO Thomas A. Fanning has started his own YouTube video series, “Why Energy Matters to You”, in which he tries to head off a real energy policy by advocating SO’s nuclear and coal strategy instead.
SO PR 28 June 2012, Southern Company Chairman Launches CEO Social Media Video Series,
Southern Company SO today unveiled the first in a series of CEO Web videos examining issues critical to the electric utility industry. The video series, “Why Energy Matters to You,” is available on YouTube and features Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. Fanning announced the Web series during an appearance at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colo.
Here are his two episodes so far. His theme:
“I believe that every American deserves a supply of clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy.”
Who could argue with that? It’s just SO’s ideas of how to do it that provoke some argument.
Here’s Part 1 of 2:
Why Energy Matters to You —Thomas A. Fanning Part 1 of 2
His question:
“How can better energy create more economic freedom for the American people?”
His answer is in Part 2 of 2:
Continue readingColin McClelland reported for Bloomberg 21 April 2011, U.S. Nuclear Output Falls as Vogtle Reactor in Georgia Shuts
The shutdown was ironically two days after an NRC public meeting “to discuss Plant Vogtle’s annual safety evaluation and assessment.”U.S. nuclear-power output remained near a 4½-year low for a fourth day as the Vogtle 1 reactor in Georgia shut down unexpectedly, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
Power generation nationwide decreased 538 megawatts to 71,781 megawatts from yesterday, or 71 percent of capacity, the smallest amount since Oct. 22, 2006, according to an NRC report today and data compiled by Bloomberg. Twenty-nine of the nation’s 104 reactors were offline.
Southern Co. (SO)’s 1,109-megawatt Vogtle 1 reactor automatically tripped offline yesterday at 5:34 p.m. when it was at full power. The cause is under investigation, the NRC said.
That would be the same location where, according to Tice Brashear back in 18 March 2009: Continue reading