By Robert Trigaux, Times Business Columnist
Monday, January 10, 2011
Duke Energy's purchase of Progress Energy not only creates the nation's biggest electricity provider, but it also combines two fans of nuclear power that are eager for more.
Even so, the shocking leap in the price of building nuclear power plants and the national waffling on a U.S. energy policy — we still lack consensus on "clean" coal, natural gas, hydro, solar and wind — raise warning flags on nuclear's prospects even as these companies insist nukes are key.
Combined, the companies boast six nuclear power plants in the Carolinas and one in Citrus County, generating electricity from 12 nuclear reactors. Together, the companies will be the third largest nationwide in nuclear generation capacity behind Chicago's Exelon and New Orleans' Entergy, but ahead of Georgia's Southern Co. or Florida Power & Light (part of NextEra Energy), two ...