Nuclear Update: Duke Dumps Florida Nuke

South Carolina is not the only state where Duke Energy (and other utilities) are cancelling nuclear construction plans. Last week, Duke announced that it was also pulling the plug on its proposed Levy nuclear plant on Florida’s Gulf coast.

As with the Lee plant in South Carolina, Duke had obtained federal construction and operating licenses for the Levy plant just last year. Unlike with the Lee plant, however, Duke says it won’t ask Florida ratepayers to cover any more of the costs of the now-cancelled Levy nuke.

At the same time it announced the Levy cancellation, Duke rolled out plans to spend $6 billion in Florida on solar energy farms, electric vehicle charging stations, and improvements to its electric distribution grid

Amidst the ongoing collapse of the once-touted “nuclear renaissance,” it appears that even big power companies are increasingly seeing the light.

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