Around the country, nuclear plants are in the midst of the threat of being shut down. From New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Ohio, workers are concerned about the loss of good employment, high paying jobs, and the need to move to find work. The benefits of nuclear power are many; it is efficient, clean, and inexpensive. It keeps the economy going by providing affordable energy and employing thousands of skilled workers. Currently, the U.S. is the world leader in producing nuclear energy.
In a recent study done on potential nuclear plant closures, the study found that annual emissions of CO2 would dramatically increase, upwards of 20 million metric tons. NOx and SO2, both of which are harmful to the air, would also increase. For consumers in the states impacted, the cost of electricity would considerably jump up. Residents in Pennsylvania would see an overall increase by $285 million while Ohio natives would see a $400 million increase.
If/when nuclear energy is back burnered, it will be replaced by another form of energy, that likely of natural gas. FirstEnergy Corp., which is linked to many of the plants facing closure, has asked the Federal Government for a “202-C” grid emergency in an effort to keep the plants afloat after filing for bankruptcy earlier this year. Opponents to the grid emergency cite it as a bailout for a company that has been mismanaged. Rick Perry, U.S. Energy Secretary, does not seem to be interested in the 202-C option, but is looking at other options to help FirstEnergy Corp. and its employees.
At Central Metal Fabricators, we’re closely following what’s happening in the U.S. with nuclear power plants. We are a leading manufacturer of industrial products, dampers for gas turbines, boiler accessories, boiler casings, busbars, steel hoppers, dampers for turbine enclosures, and tanks for storage, exhaust, and inlet silencers, exhaust plenums, filtration systems, enclosure panels & doors, exhaust diffusers, turning vanes, vandal-rain-snow roof/guards, exhaust stack eductor assemblies, and acoustical-thermal panels, turbulators and turning vanes. We offer engineering design services for sheet metal fabrication, replacement of parts and flux core arc welding, gas metal arc welding and shielded metal arc welding services.
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