Two Nukes Seeking Bailouts in Ohio Make Millions, Report Says

Two nuclear power plants pressing Ohio lawmakers for bailouts may actually be among the most profitable single reactors in the U.S., according to a report sponsored by an oil and natural gas trade group.

The costs of running FirstEnergy Solutions’s Davis Besse and Perry plants are almost 25% below the industry average for single-reactor sites, making them some of the best performers in the U.S., a report by Paul Sotkiewicz, former chief economist for the largest U.S. power grid operator, showed. The plants are averaging $28 million and $44 million a year in net profits, respectively, and out-of-market aid would only increase that, said Sotkiewicz, whose analysis was sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute.