Meanwhile, investors seemed willing to finance plants to produce next-generation biofuels.
"We go into the winter behind the 8 ball as far as income goes," said Ms. Compton, saying that many farmers borrow money in the spring to finance planting.
When it comes to the physical beauty of your home and your finances, planting trees as part of your outdoor landscape pleases the psyche, the eye, and ultimately, your wallet.
If NRG can finance the plant, it may find the approvals substantially easier than they were for regulated utilities in the last round of nuclear construction, when companies generally had to show their projects were in the public interest.
While supporters claim that an improved EOM can guarantee generation adequacy, energy suppliers in particular favor the introduction of a capacity market to finance power plant investments.
GE's technology wasn't ready in time to meet a 2008 deadline for a federal loan guarantee to help finance the plant, but Orr says GE would apply if more money becomes available.
The lenders that finance new plants often require substantial long-term sales contracts even before a plant is built.
Credit support from the Import-Export Bank may also be used to finance the plants, he said, and Chinese officials had sought assurances that China would receive an export license for the plant.
The policy will not automatically block financing for coal-burning plants, but the banks are expected to query utilities closely about the potential costs before agreeing to finance such plants.
