Fission may fizzle as nuclear power reacts to economics
WADSWORTH – A panel of dials, meters and knobs surrounds the beige-colored control room at the South Texas Project, one of two nuclear power plants in Texas.
The displays that light up in bright shades of red and green have a decidedly retro look with nary a digital display in site.
“This is the best the 1970s had to offer,” says James Von Suskil, vice president of nuclear oversight for NRG Energy, one of the owners of the plant in Matagorda County 80 miles southwest of Houston. Some components on the control panel are so old that the plant operators look to the auction website eBay for parts.
