Where nuclear bloggers, seven in all, team up to address the closure of Vermont Yankee

Nuclear energy bloggers are a rare breed. The barriers to entry to the field are formidable and their respective voices are highly distinctive based on their experiences in the industry.

So it is a special circumstance that causes seven of the nation’s leading nuclear bloggers line up to sound off on one specific topic and in the same place and at the same time.

The ANS Nuclear Cafe, the official blog of the American Nuclear Society, hosts this week three posts with seven entries of unique and deep insight into the reasons why a perfectly good nuclear power plant closed its doors forever.

Although the nuclear power station known as Vermont Yankee had another 18 years to run on its license, it was shut down for economic reasons at the end of 2014. Its owner, Entergy Corporation, and others have cited the low price of natural gas in the region as deterministic, but the reality is that many other issues were also at play.

Seven authors – who have no official connection to Vermont Yankee, or to Entergy – have provided their opinions on the shutdown of this plant, its implications for the region and possible implications for other nuclear plants in other areas of the country.

Part 1  http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2015/01/19/reflections-on-vermont-yankee-1/

Meredith Anqwin – Yes Vermont Yankee, “The Price Is Not the Lesson”

Among nuclear bloggers who have their own blogs, Angwin has been has been closest to the action involving the plant over the past five years.

Leslie Corrice – Hirishima Syndrome, “Unspoken Reason for Closure”

Leslie Corrice is author of two E-books concerning the Fukushima accident.

Part 2  http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2015/01/20/reflections-on-vermont-yankee-2/

Rod Adams, Atomic Insights, “Arguments for Keeping the Plant Viable”

Rod Adams is the publisher of Atomic Insights and the host of the Atomic Show podcast.

Robert Marolis, “Lessons Learned from Advocacy”

Robert Margolis, PE, is a nuclear engineer having over 28 years of experience as a reactor engineer, startup test engineer, project engineer, and safety analyst.

Ed Kee, – Nuclear Economics, “A Lack of Profitable Power Contracts”

Edward Kee is the owner of Nuclear Economics Consulting Group (NECG) and is an Affiliated Expert with NERA Economic Consulting.

Part 3  http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2015/01/21/reflections-on-vermont-yankee-3/

Howard Shaffer, PE, “Failure to Politically Engage”

Howard Shaffer PE. 2001 ANS Congressional Fellow. Senior Systems Engineer, Public Speaker, Public Outreach, Startup Engineer, Submarine Engineer Officer. Coordinator ANS Vermont Grassroots Project.

Dan Yurman, – NeutronBytes, “Vermont Yankee Shuts Down for Good”

Dan Yurman blogs at Neutron Bytes and is a former reporter for Fuel Cycle Week.

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Will Davis of the blog Atomic Power Review and Linda Zec of the Outreach Department at American Nuclear Society took the seven essays across the finish line for publication at ANS Nuclear Café.

ANS was gracious in thanking me “for having the vision to launch this project to collect and record a varied assortment of knowledgeable voices on the many complicated issues surrounding the shutdown of Vermont Yankee.”  The credit belongs equally to the people who wrote these essays.

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