Nuclear Power in Vermont Nuclear power was one of Vermont’s biggest suppliers in electricity from 1970 to the end of 2014. Vermont Yankee is a nuclear plant located in Vernon, Vermont which supplied approximately ¾ of Vermont’s electrical power. In December 2014 Vermont Yankee closed and most of the power Vermont Yankee provided was switched over to natural gas power. The shutdown of Vermont Yankee affected the community, the economy, and the environment in different ways. The first major part of the community that was affected by the shutdown of Vermont Yankee was the jobs in the area. Vermont Yankee provided 600 high paying jobs to the community around the plant. When Vermont Yankee closed the amount of jobs went from 600 down to 100 …show more content…
Vermont Yankee sourced most of its raw materials from local companies and pumped approximately 500 million dollars of economic activity into the region (Closing Vermont Yankee). With a greying population and stagnant job growth, the area looks at a possible new direction for the economy due to a worrisome long term economic health (Rousmaniere). The area of Vernon looks to move towards natural gas power as a way to stimulate the economy and replace the power produced by Vermont …show more content…
When Vermont Yankee closed the global market for natural gas rose in cost. Natural gas already provided heating to 50,000 houses, businesses, and institutions in Vermont and was now going to be used for power houses. This caused large spikes in cost especially during the winter times (Bielawski). Environmentalists looked into the application of solar and wind power to make up for the loss of electrical output but the cost, overall storage and output could not be met on the scale required for Vermont at a sustainable cost. It also did not gain enough backing and never occurred (New