More Mixed News for U.S. Nuclear Sector

Nearly a month ago, Exelon Corporation announced that it would close two nuclear plants in Illinois. The news, which was widely reported across the energy industry, signals yet another setback for America’s commercial nuclear power industry. The premature shutdown of Exelon’s Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear plants in June 2017 and June 2018, respectively, representing almost 3,000 megawatts of generating capacity, takes a significant amount of carbon-free electricity generation off the midwest grid.

What led to the shutdowns? According to a report from The Hill, “Exelon specifically blamed Illinois’s Legislature for the closings, saying legislation that’s been under consideration but hasn’t passed would have made keeping the plants open more feasible.”

“This is an extremely difficult day for the 1,500 employees who operate these plants safely and reliably every day, and the communities that depend on them for support,” added Chris Crane, Exelon’s president, in a written statement.

The legislation in question would have counted nuclear generation toward the state’s renewable energy mandate. PACE has argued for years that policy makers should include nuclear power as a clean energy source because of its zero carbon footprint. The Illinois Legislature, however, ended its session without passing the bill.  Marvin Fertel, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, called the closings a “tragedy.” Nine nuclear plants have been closed in recent years.

The news isn’t all bad, however. Restoring the vitality of the U.S. nuclear industry has become an important goal for some policy leaders. For example, the Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a draft plan that calls for the construction of 200 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by mid-century. The plan also calls for the development of two new advanced nuclear reactor concepts, including license reviews, by 2030. Two weeks ago, DOE announced $82 million in funds to support advanced nuclear research. The funds will go to 93 projects across 23 states.

Read DOE’s Report Here

“Recognizing that the deployment of new nuclear technologies can take 15–20 years, DOE intends to place significantly increased emphasis on supporting private sector initiatives to advance a new generation of reactor concepts,” the report says. By 2050, the agency’s vision includes advanced reactors providing a “significant and growing component of the nuclear energy mix both domestically and globally,” based on advantages in safety, performance and cost.

“Nuclear power is our nation’s largest source of low-carbon electricity and is a vital component in our efforts to both provide affordable and reliable electricity and to combat climate change,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said recently when announcing funding grants.

Some in the media, too, are beginning to understand the role of nuclear power. Recently, The San Diego Union-Tribune editorialized on the importance of nuclear with an opinion piece entitled “California Can’t Fight Global Warming and Nuclear Power.” The opinion piece addresses the commitment that California has made toward climate change, as well as recent efforts by the state’s environmental activists to shut down nuclear plants in the state, determining that the twin goals of eliminating nuclear power and reducing carbon emissions make little sense together.

The editorial board particularly cites the decision by Pacific Gas & Electric to not seek license renewal for two nuclear units at Diablo Canyon power plant. A number of political institutions, supported by the state’s environmental lobby, made it clear that renewing the licenses for the two nuclear units would be fraught with roadblocks.

“Diablo Canyon supplies 9 percent of the state’s electricity with a reliability that renewable energy has yet come close to approaching. Barring technological breakthroughs, in the short and medium term, the closing of Diablo Canyon means the state’s power grid is likely to have to rely more on natural gas, which contributes to global warming,” the opinion explains. “Without such breakthroughs, renewable energy mandates will make the power grid more susceptible to disruptive, costly shortages.”

“If global warming is an existential threat to humankind, this hostility to a huge, promising source of clean energy is inexplicable,” concludes the editorial board of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes.

The U.S. created the commercial nuclear industry, leading the way for a technology that contributes significantly to the world’s clean energy portfolio. Unfortunately, for too long, news about the American nuclear industry has been characterized as “one step forward, two steps back.” Paving the way for nuclear advancement will not only require continued investment and research, but the political will to recognize nuclear’s promise. Let’s hope policy makers find that will and restore the U.S. as a leader in nuclear power.