Editor’s note: This is a letter to the editor of the Solon Economist in response to Caden Bell’s opinion saying the Duane Arnold Energy Center nuclear power plant should be reopened.
I don’t understand the logic of reopening the Duane Arnold Energy Center because life is like a cartoon called The Simpsons. I’ve never seen an episode of that show, so maybe I’m missing something. What I do know is Caden Bell offers no logical reason to reopen the Duane Arnold Energy Center nuclear power plant in his Dec. 5 opinion in the Solon Economist.
First things first. The technology at Duane Arnold is old. The physical plant is old. Its permit has been renewed twice. There is a limit to the life of these facilities built in the 1970s. Why throw new money after old technology? We shouldn’t.
If Iowa were to do anything regarding nuclear power, we should at least wait until known problems have been resolved. Bill Gates is working on that. Gates received a permit for a small modular reactor in Wyoming. If there is a future for nuclear power in the energy mix, it is not in plants like Duane Arnold, but in small modular reactors if the bugs can be worked out. That is a big if. The future of nuclear power relies on such projects. Give Gates and company time to do the work.
Who will pay? The nuclear energy industry relies heavily on federal subsidies. Bell offers nothing about financing the return of nuclear power in Iowa. It remains a key issue with any electricity source. His opinion is useless without addressing who will pay.
My recommendation is Bell return to watching The Simpsons and keep opining about real-world issues like nuclear power among his university friends.
~ Published in the Dec. 12, 2024 edition of the Solon Economist.
Journey Home 
You must be logged in to post a comment.