The US has launched the construction of new nuclear energy plants using large prefabricated Lego-like blocks, in a move expected to save both time and money, and perhaps give a fresh start to the once promising energy source.
However, AP agency reports on a number of quality and cost problems that now cast doubts about if the nuclear energy would ever dominate other electricity sources. The history has already taught us a lesson: back in the 1960s and 1970s, as the first US nuclear plants came into being, the construction costs skyrocketed all but bringing the industry to a deadlock.
Now large chunks of modules are built off-site, with new manufacturers acting as contractors for lesser costs and better quality. First module designs proved hard or even impossible to make, filings reviewed by AP suggest. The factory in Louisiana that was to construct the prefabricated sections struggled to meet strict quality regulations, which made utility companies in control of the construction turn to other manufacturers instead.
Cheap gas-fired plants are seen as serious rivals, though, a bigger percent of companies choosing to deal with these rather than with nuclear ones. As soon as the cost issue is resolved, the nuclear industry will stand a good chance of revival in the long run, experts argue.
