New Nuclear Reactors coming to Northeast AL

[wavinwayne]

If this article is correct, sometime in the next few years, new nuclear reactors are going to be built in my backyard, at the site of TVA's never-finished Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant. I'm excited for our local economy if it actually happens this time. Over the years, we've gotten used to rumors that Bellefonte was going to be finished, then crickets. New Nuclear Reactors coming to AL

 

[Passport1]

Great, good news. More power to you!

 

[KrisZ]

Great, good news. More power to you!

Keep dreaming, it's likely for the data centers.

 

[wavinwayne]

Keep dreaming, it's likely for the data centers.

Wouldn't surprise me. I'm just hoping it's a net economic positive for our community.

 

[GON]

Keep dreaming, it's likely for the data centers.

Will just import nuclear generated electricity from China, like everything else.

Surely China will accept influencer videos made by Americans in exchange for the nuclear generated electricity, and all the products' Americans import from China.

China is the world's fastest-expanding nuclear power producer, operating 55+ reactors with over 20 more under construction as of early 2026. Concentrated along the eastern coast, these plants are crucial to meeting energy demands and reducing emissions, aiming for 120-150 GW of capacity by 2030.

 

[GON]

If this article is correct, sometime in the next few years, new nuclear reactors are going to be built in my backyard, at the site of TVA's never-finished Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant. I'm excited for our local economy if it actually happens this time. Over the years, we've gotten used to rumors that Bellefonte was going to be finished, then crickets. New Nuclear Reactors coming to AL

That is awesome news- thanks for posting!

 

[bdcardinal]

Roll Tide

 

[macarose]

Our power plant in Georgia, Plant Vogtle, was an incredibly expensive boondoggle for our state.

I believe the final cost was somewhere in the area of $40 billion to $50 billion. Consumers paid a hefty part of that bill as well.

Hopefully you guys do a better job of keeping the lid on cost overruns.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Our power plant in Georgia, Plant Vogtle, was an incredibly expensive boondoggle for our state.

I believe the final cost was somewhere in the area of $40 billion to $50 billion. Consumers paid a hefty part of that bill as well.

Hopefully you guys do a better job of keeping the lid on cost overruns.

At least yours got finished. We spent the money and got zilch.

 

[mk378]

Plan is to abandon the partially constructed / never started old-generation PWRs and build ten new GE Vernova-Hitachi boiling-water SMR of 300 MWe each, giving the site a total nameplate output of 3 GW.

There are no reactors of this type commercially online yet, though some are under construction in Canada. Japan (not China) is providing capital, I guess expecting to be repaid from future electricity sales.

https://www.gevernova.com/nuclear/carbon-free-power/bwrx-300-small-modular-reactor

 

[97K15004WD]

It boggles my mind that the US Navy can have reactors that cost less and work better than anything built in the last 40 years.

 

[mk378]

Naval reactors require highly enriched uranium for fuel, which is expensive and needs to be restricted since it is easily used to make a bomb. On the other hand they have a longer refueling time so maybe the cost per kWh is about the same.

 

[JeffKeryk]

The Diablo Canyon Power Plant, near San Luis Obispo (@slo town), has been operating since about 1985 I believe. It supplies as much as 10% of California's electricity. The issue at hand is what to do with the nuclear waste.
The plant was scheduled for decommissioning in 2024-2025 but received a license extension to continue operations until 2030, with potential for further review.

That's my best understanding.

 

[mk378]

>The issue at hand is what to do with the nuclear waste.

The USA still has no policy for spent nuclear fuel. Every single pound is still at the plant where it was produced. This is sort of like never taking the trash out of your apartment, because the city refuses to take it either. It will catch up with you.

 

[Owen Lucas]

these plants are crucial to meeting energy demands and reducing emissions, aiming for 120-150 GW of capacity by 2030.

IMHO the Chinese could care less about emissions, this is just a convenient talking point so they can pander to blue/green people. They went nuclear because it's the logical choice.

 

[mk378]

this is just a convenient talking point SO they can pander

The Chinese don't seek or require approval from anyone for what they're doing. Neither do Americans.

 

[GON]

The Chinese don't seek or require approval from anyone for what they're doing. Neither do Americans.

The significant difference is the PRC has had and is still executing an information operations campaign into Western Nations to discourage use of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, etc in Western Nations. The PRC has had phenomenal/great success beyond anyone's wildest dream with these information operation campaigns.

One needs to ask why the PRC is investing in a decade's long information operations campaign to discourage Western Nations from using fossil fuels and nucleal power, while China itself continues to build and expand its use of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

An interesting number to ponder:

In 2025, China's coal power expansion reached a decade high, with over 50 large coal units commissioned.

The Art of War is a great read to understand what the CCP is doing to promote the failure/collapse of the industrial base of Western Nations.

 

[4wd]

The significant difference is the PRC has had and is still executing an information operations campaign into Western Nations to discourage use of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, etc in Western Nations. The PRC has had great success with these campaigns.

One needs to ask why the PRC is investing in a decade's long information operations campaign to discourage Western Nations from using fossil fuels and nucleal power, while China itself continues to build and expand its use of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

An interesting number to ponder:

In 2025, China's coal power expansion reached a decade high, with over 50 large coal units commissioned.

The Art of War is a great read to understand what the CCP is doing to promote the failure of industrial base of Western Nations.

Nobody enjoys the low/no information—— like they do …

 

[LenZee]

Keep dreaming, it's likely for the data centers.

Wait till he finds out he gets to pay for it!

 

[GON]

Nobody enjoys the low/no information—— like they do …

Recently passing through China, discovered ChatGPT is banned. Reasonable to assume AI from all Western Nations is banned. Already well known youtube, facebook, instragram, WhatsApp... heck even the Wall Street Journal is banned in the PRC.

Connect the dots.