‘WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) – The chief executive of Exelon Corp (EXC.N), the largest U.S. nuclear power generator, said an additional $50 billion in government loan guarantees for nuclear power would be enough to spark the industry to build new plants. The current nuclear loan guarantee program of $18.5 billion could be expanded if utilities and lawmakers who back the industry win new incentives in U.S. climate legislation. “We think that ($50 billion) would be enough to give nuclear a real start for the next couple of decades,” John Rowe, Exelon’s president and chief executive, told reporters after testifying before a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works panel. Republican senators like Lindsey Graham have said they would support climate legislation only if it includes far more incentives for nuclear, which is virtually free of greenhouse gas emissions. “It is truly staggering that an industry this big and this mature can claim to need so much government help to survive and thrive in a world in which technologies that don’t emit global warming pollution will benefit,” Ellen Vancko, a nuclear expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists said in a release.’
– from greenpeace.org