Mass Nuclear Layoffs

In Victorian times, cautionary tales were popular for deterring naughty behavior amongst children. Today, we are awash in such stories in the nuclear power sector — the latest regarding layoffs — and our politicians should be reading them. The latest example is NuScale, the company whose small modular reactor design was considered most likely to succeed. Instead, the project has collapsed, a “dead horse” said NuScale’s own CEO. Far from a climate or a jobs panacea, Nuscale will lay off 28% of its staff, cuts that could eventually affect at least 40% of the workforce. It is also facing legal action from numerous law firms on behalf of disgruntled investors. Meanwhile at Vogtle, the only new full-size reactors nearing completion, ratepayers are about to be gouged again, increases caused by mistakes made by Georgia Power.