Nuclear Industry Effort to Exploit Coronavirus Crisis for Backdoor Bailout Decried as 'Disaster Capitalism at its Worst'

"The nuclear industry begged for a bailout last fall and is now using coronavirus to try and brazenly grab more cash," warned Friends of the Earth.

As reported by CommonDreams.

Update on March 28, 2020 by admin

See "Coronavirus Capitalism" featuring Naomi Klein on Democracy Now! on 3/19.

Klein wrote the book The Shock Doctrine, about Disaster Capitalism.

Update on April 8, 2020 by admin

As reported by The Intercept:

Mehdi Hasan and Naomi Klein on Coronavirus Capitalism

North Carolina nuclear plants brace to operate during coronavirus pandemic

As reported by Carolina Public Press.

The article quotes Beyond Nuclear:

Kevin Kamps of the organization Beyond Nuclear, a watchdog organization based in Maryland that advocates for abandoning nuclear power, participated in the meeting and told CPP that “most of the content of the call was about waivers from existing regulations.”

“But during a crisis, requirements should be strengthened, not weakened,” he said.

Additional shift hours, Kamps said, will place additional “stress and strain on workers that need to be fully attentive and alert in sensitive jobs.” A better strategy than permitting regulatory relief, he said, would be to proactively power down reactors until the threat of the coronavirus ends.

Covid-19 could cause staff shortages in the nuclear power industry

As reported by Bellona.

U.S. Power Industry May Ask Key Employees to Live at Work if Coronavirus Worsens

As reported by Reuters and published in the New York Times.

The article reports:

Maria Korsnick, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said that some of the nation’s nearly 60 nuclear power plants are also “considering measures to isolate a core group to run the plant, stockpiling ready-to-eat meals and disposable tableware, laundry supplies and personal care items.”

Utilities Plan to Keep Key Staff Housed at Power Plants

As reported by POWER MAGAZINE.