The plant that never was. But no one envisaged that in 1965 when Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) President John J. Tuohy announced plans for the first commercial nuclear power plant on Long Island.
Initially, that proposal faced no or little opposition, as Brookhaven already had multiple research nuclear reactors a few miles south of Shoreham. Everything changed after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident when 15,000 protesters gathered in front of the plant.
The nuclear plant was completed in 1984 and received the federal go-ahead for some tests one year later. But then the Chornobyl disaster happened. It was the beginning of the end for the Shoreham plant, as the local communities did not sign on to the evacuation plan, which meant the plant could not open.
Ten years after its completion, Shoreham became the first commercial nuclear power plant ever dismantled in the US.
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By: ONE Team
ONE is a nonprofit magazine founded in 2014, dedicated to providing unbiased and independent commentary and reporting on energy and environment issues. ONE policy pursues the following principles: accuracy, integrity and transparency.
Only Natural Energy provides original articles and also a selection of other sources most explanatory posts about climate change, new technologies, policies and strategies in the energy field. -
