Obama wants a nuclear plant despite concerns

The US government has agreed to pledge more than $8 billions in loans to build the country’s first new nuclear power plant in 30 years.

“This is only the beginning” of the administration’s efforts to increase the use of nuclear power, said President Barack Obama.

The US halted the construction of new nuclear power plants since 1979 when an accident occurred by the partial core meltdown of one of the reactors at the Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.

“My budget proposes tripling the loan guarantees we provide to help finance safe, clean nuclear facilities and we’ll continue to provide financing for clean-energy projects here in Maryland and across America,” he said.

Critics have expressed fears about the disposal of nuclear waste products and the likely release of radioactive gases into the atmosphere due to unexpected accidents.

But Obama has emphasized that “we cannot allow those differences to prevent us from making progress.”