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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Some residents oppose nuclear power plant

A proposed plan to build a nuclear power plant near Levy County has a small group of Alachua County residents in an uproar over the potential environmental and safety hazards, despite assurances by company officials that the plant will be closely regulated.

Francine Robinson, chairwoman of the Committee for Nuclear Responsibility in the Florida League of Conservation Voters, held a press conference in front of the Alachua County Family and Civil Courthouse Thursday regarding resident opposition to the plant. Nine people, including four reporters, attended.

“It’s an environmental disaster,” former Gainesville Mayor Tom Bussing said at the press conference.

Mark Goldstein, another former Gainesville mayor, said he’s concerned about the possibility of nuclear exposure to Alachua County if the plant is built.

Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, is building the plant to boost energy production in the state, said Suzanne Grant, a Progress Energy Florida spokeswoman. The company bought 5,000 acres for the Levy County plant, which is expected to be in service starting in 2024 and will run for 60 years.

Robinson said she is concerned about the amount of water the nuclear plant would take from the Florida aquifer, saying the plant would require one million gallons a day.

Less than 1 percent of the water to run the plant will come from the aquifer, Grant said. The rest will come from the Gulf of Mexico.

Robinson said she was also concerned about the 50-mile emergency evacuation radius, which covers Alachua, Levy and other neighboring counties.

Grant said she wasn’t sure the scope of the radius but said there is an emergency plan in place. There is also a plan to store nuclear waste on-site, she said.

To fund the project, Progress Energy Florida customers, including UF, have already seen increases in their electric bills. Robinson said these customers will not get refunds if the plant isn’t built.

Customers with a 1,000-kilowatt-hour bill are currently paying an additional $2.67 per month, she said.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, which is part of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, will host a hearing at 9 a.m. on Oct. 31 at the Levy County Courthouse, where community concerns will be addressed, Grant said

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“We developed this plan so that we would meet all the regulatory requirements,” Grant said. “In addressing these contentions, we feel the project remains viable and will continue to go forward.”

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