Abstract:
Progress Energy plans possible nuclear expansion at Wake County's Shearon Harris Plant, citing the region's growing demand for power. The new reactor could be online by 2016. Opponents point out that the addition of another reactor would magnify general problems, including radioactive pollution from routine emissions, the risk of catastrophic releases caused by accident or sabotage, and the lack of long-term planning for storing spent fuel. Sharon Harris currently houses one of the country's largest stockpiles of spent fuel.