S&P: Nuclear Power Carries High Business Risk
In the research report, "Credit Aspects of North American and European Nuclear Power," issued Monday, Standard & Poors credit analysts suggested that nuclear generation generally carries "the highest overall business risk compared with other types of [power] generation." In fact, the decommissioning risk is probably one of the most critical obstacles facing the nuclear power industry, according to S&P.
To put off dealing with the issue of decommissioning, many plant owners are seeking license extensions and are refurbishing existing units, according to S&P Credit Analysts John Kennedy in New York, Andreas Zsiga in Stockholm, Laurie Conheady in Toronto and Paul Lund in London