US nuclear plant cancellations (1972-1988)
US utilities ordered 253 nuclear plants in the 1970s; 128 were cancelled by 1988. Construction cost overruns, rising safety requirements, and regulatory delays made the plants uneconomic. Billions in invested capital were written off.
Utilities absorbed massive losses; some, like Washington Public Power Supply System, defaulted on bonds.
No new nuclear plant was ordered for decades, and the industry's credibility collapsed.
Policy and regulatory shifts can strand massive capital investments in energy infrastructure, with effects lasting for decades.
