COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Public Power District's board has decided against boosting capacity of its nuclear power plant in the southeast corner of the state.
In December the board decided to seek federal permission to raise the Cooper Nuclear Station's power output by 18 percent, to 946 megawatts from 800. But the board voted Friday to follow a recommendation from NPPD President and CEO Pat Pope to scrap the project.
Pope said the latest, detailed cost estimates for the project pegged it at $409 million, $120 million above an earlier estimate. He said NPPD "most likely would not see sufficient returns to justify that expense." Pope also cited technical and other issues.
The plant sits along the Missouri River near Brownville, nearly 60 miles south of Omaha.
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