$200 million in upgrades planned at idle Crystal River nuclear power plant

In a move that flabbergasts its critics, Progress Energy Florida plans to spend more than $200 million of its customers' money to upgrade the Crystal River nuclear power plant.

This is the same plant that:
 • Broke three years ago during another upgrade project.
 • Has not produced a kilowatt of power since.
 • Would cost at least $3 billion to repair including related power expenses.
• May never be restarted.

Nevertheless, Progress has budgeted millions to increase the plant's potential power output. To pay for it, customers' power bills will increase an estimated $51.5 million this year, $110.2 million next year and $64.5 million in 2014.

And that's not all.

Progress plans to spend hundreds of millions more on the plant for equipment and safety upgrades through 2014. The utility won't be able to charge customers for those expenditures at least until after 2017 because of an agreement with state regulators.

Critics equate it to replacing the drive-train on an aging, broken-down car that is more likely headed to the junkyard than back onto the street.

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This is a pointless amount of money for a dormant powerplant that frankly should be torn down and replaced with a thorium based generation 5 nuclear plant.

The argument from the clean energy person is a bit questionable, while its great that she is questioning the point, she misses the boat arguing against a nuclear plant that is still cleaner than coal plants. She should support a tear-down and massive upgrade to new technology considering the price tag is so far has been over $2 billion dollars; not just giving up.

Also, the costs should not be put on the taxpayers, especially since no one asked for the constant failures revolving around the upgrades.