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In years past, District 3 Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis has made it clear that he doesn’t view nuclear power as a silver bullet for Louisiana’s energy challenges.
But given recent technological advancements and a growing pro-nuclear sentiment among environmental activists, does he still feel the same way?
Speaking at the Press Club of Baton Rouge’s meeting Monday, Lewis shed some light on his current stance. In short? Not much has changed.
“[Nuclear projects] typically go over budget and over time,” Lewis said. “I think nuclear is still in its development phase.”
To highlight the potential pitfalls of nuclear power, Lewis pointed to the Vogtle power plant near Waynesboro, Georgia. An expansion project that kicked off in 2009 to add two new nuclear reactors to the plant finally concluded in April—$20 billion over budget and seven years behind schedule.
“The challenge of nuclear right now is its cost effectiveness,” Lewis said. “While I’m not opposed to the development [of new technologies], I don’t think we’re there yet.”
Even so, Lewis concedes that nuclear power is preferable to some traditional energy sources.
“I will say nuclear is a better option than coal and natural gas because it’s more environmentally friendly,” Lewis said. “It doesn’t produce as many CO2 emissions as other types of generation.”
Advocates of nuclear power argue that it helps fight climate change by producing massive amounts of carbon-free electricity, while opponents say it is too dangerous and constitutes a distraction from cleaner and more affordable renewable energy sources.
