Author: Jim Namiotka - Lead Corporate Writer, PSEG

Salem at 40: Four Decades of Nuclear in New Jersey

/ Jim Namiotka - Lead Corporate Writer, PSEG / 6 Comments
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A view of the Salem Unit 1 containment under construction.

By the time David Jansen came to work at the new nuclear power plant being built along the eastern bank of the Delaware River, the massive construction project was the biggest thing he had ever seen.

The containment for Salem Unit 1 was halfway done, and “Salem 2 was a big muddy hole in the ground,” Jansen said.

That was in 1970. At any given time, a visitor might have seen as many as 5,000 workers on Artificial Island – construction workers, engineers, electricians and the many people who supported them. That number also included future nuclear plant operators, like Jansen, who eventually would man the controls of the brand-new nuclear reactor.

“I was in awe of the complete size of the operation,” Jansen said. Continue reading →

Fill ’Er Up: Paving the Way for Electric Vehicles

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Richard Rose’s daily commute to his office at The College of New Jersey in Ewing is 56 miles, round-trip. Most days, his hybrid Chevy Volt doesn’t use a drop of gasoline. It’s only on cold winter days, when Rose gives in to the thermometer and turns on the heat, that he needs to dip into his car’s gas-powered reserves.

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A Stronger Gas Network – And for Keith, Kyle and Matt, New Jobs

/ Jim Namiotka - Lead Corporate Writer, PSEG / 2 Comments

Seven months ago, Keith Baker of Irvington logged onto PSE&G’s website to pay his monthly electric bill, and clicked on the “Careers” button out of curiosity. Today, Baker is a full-time street mechanic – part of the growing PSE&G team replacing more than 500 miles of aging gas pipes throughout New Jersey. “I was looking for a new challenge for myself, a new skill,” said Baker, who previously worked as a plumber. PSE&G has always had a reputation for providing steady jobs with strong pay and benefits, he added. Continue reading →

A New Start In Sewaren

/ Jim Namiotka - Lead Corporate Writer, PSEG / 1 Comment

Nearly four years ago, Superstorm Sandy pushed a massive tidal surge into the Arthur Kill, flooding the communities and industrial sites that line its banks. Some of the heaviest damage occurred in Sewaren, where four power plants and a nearby electric switching station were under water, cutting off power to the refineries and other businesses that surround the site. Continue reading →

Experts: Nuclear is Key to a Carbon-Free Future

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Panelists included Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund; State Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), chair of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee; Ralph Izzo and Susan Tierney, former assistant U.S. energy secretary and a senior adviser of the Analysis Group.

As New Jersey and the rest of the United States look for ways to shrink their carbon footprints, energy experts agree that the nation’s nuclear plants will have to play a role if tough carbon-reduction targets are going to be reached.

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