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2017 in Review: Nuclear Power: 2017 was supposed to be a good year for nuclear power ‒ the peak of a mini-renaissance ‒ but it turned out to be another flop for an industry in crisis. Meanwhile, renewables surged.
Georgia Public Service Commission continues Vogtle reactor boondoggle ‒ but the project is probably still doomed: Tim Judson from the Nuclear Information & Resource Service writes about the decision of the Georgia Public Service Commission to allow construction of the Vogtle nuclear plant to continue despite mounting costs and escalating scandals. Vogtle is the industry's last gasp: 28 of the 30 'Nuclear Renaissance' reactors in the US have now been formally abandoned or indefinitely shelved.
Swedish nuclear industry loses battle over repository but battle rages on: Miles Goldstick summarizes recent developments regarding the decision-making process for the planned spent fuel repository in Forsmark. A report by the Nuclear Safety Authority is largely positive while the Land and Environmental Court's report is more critical. The issue is now in the hands of the Swedish government and will not be resolved before the September 2018 national election. "In practice, what the "no" by the Land and Environment Court did was cause a delay of at least a year before the nuclear industry internationally has another chance to be able to claim there is a government-sanctioned solution to the spent fuel problem. In that sense, it is a victory for opponents of the nuclear industry's waste management plans and opponents of nuclear power in general. The main battle however rages on."
Sweden: Nuclear Waste Fund deficits prompt government action: Charly Hultén from WISE Sweden writes about the chronic deficit in the Swedish Nuclear Waste Fund: "For decades, the nuclear establishment was a Swedish 'holy cow' and, as such, was not subjected to incisive scrutiny. Not so today. The debate on the deficit in the Nuclear Waste Fund these past two years cuts sharper and deeper than ever before."
Looking back, looking forward: Nuclear Monitor #1 ‒ May 1978: Nuclear Monitor and the two organizations that produce it ‒ WISE and NIRS ‒ are all celebrating our 40th birthday this year. Over the course of the year we'll be looking back at early issues of Nuclear Monitor and presenting a potted history of the anti-nuclear movement, WISE and NIRS, and Nuclear Monitor itself. In this issue, we look back at Nuclear Monitor #1, published in May 1978. Heady times!