Mar 25 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Jimmy Myers St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.

Just an hour's drive from St. Joseph, Cooper Nuclear Station doesn't offer ominous cooling towers, ­which are trademarks of the controversial energy source. That the structure housing the power plant is more than just a warehouse is obvious in the miles of razor wire spiraled atop high fences, concrete barricades stacked several deep, and armed guards dotting the perimeter.

Some might argue that nuclear power isn't green -- accidents and acts of terrorism could cause widespread contamination. But while there is still a stigma attached to nuclear power plants, opinions appear to be changing.

Patrick Moore, a founding member of Greenpeace, an international organization that advocates the protection of the environment, came out last year in support of nuclear power. Once a staunch critic who equated nuclear energy with nuclear holocaust, Mr. Moore said nuclear power is the most efficient way to avoid catastrophic climate change while meeting America's growing need for energy.

Beth Boesch, public relations manager for the Nebraska Public Power District, the company that owns Cooper, agreed that the perception of nuclear power has changed. But she recognized that the industry still lacks widespread support.

"It could make us a little unique to some areas of the country that are a little more anti-nuclear," she said, noting that the surrounding community has been especially supportive.

Cooper was under the watchful eye of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a number of safety concerns, but the plant recently earned a clean bill of health. Staying clean is an important factor in being green. Residents downriver of Cooper should be especially pleased as the power plant uses millions of gallons of Missouri River water per day that is recycled back into the river.

Cooper is "in queue" for license renewal with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Ms. Boesch said the application will probably be reviewed next year and the license would allow Cooper to operate for another 20 years.

Completed in 1974 at a cost of $313 million, Cooper supplies roughly 20 percent of NPPD's energy, which serves parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. Cooper is one of about 100 nuclear power plants in the United States that provide 20 percent of the country's energy.

Aquila Inc., which provides power to a million customers, including thousands in Northwest Missouri, purchases power from Cooper. Al Butkus, spokesman for Aquila, said the amount of power his company buys from Cooper varies depending on need.

St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. operates Missouri's only nuclear power plant in Callaway County near Fulton, Mo. Operational since 1984, the single-reactor power plant produces 1190 megawatts of power.