White House could revive nuke power

WASHINGTON, March 9 (UPI) -- A White House push for clean energy could be a boon for the U.S. nuclear power industry, analysts say.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday that dozens of new reactors could be built to supply plentiful, carbon-free electricity. The industry could be fettered, however, by President Barack Obama's opposition to the planned nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., the newspaper noted.

The Chronicle reported that applications to build at least 31 nuclear reactors are pending before federal regulators, with more filings expected soon.

"I'm aware of 33 or 34 projects in the hopper. I think the prospects are reasonably good. There's demand," said Bill Halsey, an expert on nuclear energy at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

Opponents of building more nuclear power plants include the Sierra Club.

"Our view is that the nuclear industry has yet to demonstrate that they know what to do with the waste they generate," said Carl Pope, the club's executive director, "and they have yet to demonstrate that they can build and operate new reactors with their own money. They have yet to meet the test of the market. So we think it's a very poor investment of public money."