William Atkinson is a freelance journalist based in Carterville, Ill.
Utilities that have new nuclear plants on the drawing board are involved in a host of strategies designed to address water issues.
For some, these focus primarily on location. For others, technology is a key.
Entergy Nuclear is one utility largely relying on location to deal with water issues. As the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States, Entergy Nuclear operates 12 nuclear plants at 10 sites in eight states. The company filed an application in early 2008 potentially to build a second reactor at its Grand Gulf site in Port Gibson, Miss. It also will file another application by the end of the year for a second reactor at its River Bend Station in Louisiana. “We don’t anticipate water problems with either of these plants,” says Entergy spokesman Mike Bolling. “Both of them are on the Mississippi River.”