Why Our Current Nuclear Fleet is Essential — And How It’s in Danger
Last Friday, the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) released its plan for realizing the energy, environmental, and economic benefits of nuclear power in the United States.
The Strategic Vision offers five goals for advancing nuclear energy in the U.S., the first of which is enabling the continued operation of the existing fleet.
“Existing U.S. nuclear plants prevent almost 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year — the equivalent of taking 100 million cars off the roads,” writes Assistant Secretary Dr. Rita Baranwal.
The plan not only confirms “there are no technical limits [for reactors] to operate beyond 60 years”, but underscores the importance of enabling license extensions.
“If existing nuclear power plants do not operate beyond 60 years, the amount of electricity supplied by nuclear power in the United States will rapidly decline, jeopardizing our supply of carbon-free electricity. Therefore, it is imperative that we enable the continued operation of the existing fleet of reactors.”
Further, the NE believes currently operating reactors can expand into markets beyond electricity, powering desalination plants or producing clean hydrogen.
“[Reactors] can provide process heat to create hydrogen to help decarbonize the industrial and transportation sectors or provide clean drinking water from desalination plants.”
Despite the clean energy benefits of existing nuclear plants and their potential to further contribute to a low-carbon future, the fleet remains in serious trouble.
The U.S. has lost ten nuclear plants since 2013, enough emissions-free electricity to reliably power more than 5 million homes. Closures occurred in California, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York — dark blue states with strong commitments to climate action. In each of these cases, the lost power was replaced with natural gas.
The latest plants on the chopping block are Byron and Dresden, two nuclear power plants in Illinois. While they are licensed to operate for another twenty years and ten years, respectively, they may both be shutdown by the end of the year.
These nuclear plants, along with two others, are being forced to compete against historically-cheap natural gas in an electricity market that ignores the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
But challenging market conditions are not unique to Illinois. While licensed until 2031, the Palisades plant in Michigan is scheduled to be prematurely shut down in 2022. The remaining nuclear plants in New Jersey face another political battle when the three-year subsidy program passed in 2019 expires in 2022. And in Ohio, the State Supreme Court has halted the collection of fees that would fund subsidies for two nuclear plants.
“This represents a threat to our supply of emissions-free electricity, as well as the infrastructure, capabilities, and supply chain needed to retain U.S. leadership in the nuclear field and enable the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies,” the NE writes.
As such, the Strategic Vision identifies reducing operating costs as an objective for enabling the continued operation of our existing nuclear fleet. Plants are already modernizing their operating systems and demonstrating advanced fuels to enhance performance and become more cost-competitive.
Cost concern is an important management value in any industry. Unfortunately, the issue of nuclear’s ability to compete with fossil fuels won’t be remedied by shrinking operating costs alone.
To realize the vision of a thriving U.S. nuclear industry capable of delivering clean energy and economic opportunities, federal action is needed to protect our plants. The temporary, piecemeal legislation approach that has been pursued at the state level is unsustainable.
“As the use of nuclear energy continues to expand internationally, it is crucial that the United States reassert itself as a leader in this incredible technology,” Baranwal says.
We need a Green Nuclear Deal that protects and harnesses the power of our world-class fleet which continues to provide millions of Americans with carbon-free energy.
