DOE Summit Aims to Preserve At-Risk US Reactors

As announced by the U.S. Department of Energy:

Three panels to discuss policy solutions for federal, state leaders

• Industry represented by NEI’s Fertel, PSEG’s Levis, Entergy’s Mohl, Exelon’s Dominguez
• DOE report will propose ways to retain zero-carbon nuclear

May 12, 2016—The U.S. Department of Energy next week will sponsor a summit of key decision-makers to highlight the need to keep the nation’s nuclear power plants operational.

Set for May 19 in the Hart Senate Office Building, the afternoon-long meeting of industry experts, legislators, administration officials and other stakeholders will discuss the issues facing at-risk nuclear power plants and the unintended consequences that arise from early plant retirements. The main objective of the summit is to identify near-term policy solutions that could address these concerns at the federal and state level.

The summit also will address technical options utilities are implementing to enhance operating nuclear plants’ economic competitiveness as part of the Delivering the Nuclear Promise initiative.

“There is an urgent need to develop policies that will prevent additional, premature nuclear power plant closures,” NEI Senior Director of Business Policy Matt Crozat says. “Preserving existing nuclear power plants is imperative to any credible plan to reduce carbon emissions and necessary to preserve jobs in their host communities.”

This is the second summit held by the Obama administration to highlight the vital role that nuclear energy needs to play in any credible effort to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector and to assure a reliable supply of zero-emission electricity. While aNovember 2015 White House summit focused on advanced nuclear technologies for the future, this summit will concentrate on existing U.S. reactors.

The summit comes on the heels of a May 6 announcement by Exelon that it will move forward with the early retirements of its Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear power plants in Illinois if the state does not pass adequate legislation recognizing those facilities’ emissions-free value. Meanwhile in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has asked the state’s Public Service Commission to develop a Clean Energy Standard that could keep some of the state’s nuclear plants open with “zero-emission credits” to help the state meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Since 2012, eight U.S. reactors have closed, or announced their intent to close, and that list could expand. If these plants were to continue operation they would avoid between 35 million and 50 million tons of carbon emissions annually, producing as much clean electricity as all of the renewables deployed by the power sector over the past three years, Crozat notes.

“When existing nuclear power plants shut down, carbon reduction goals, electric system reliability and local jobs all suffer—sometimes dramatically,” Crozat says. “Policymakers and industry employees at all levels must work together decisively and promptly to preserve these important parts of America’s electricity infrastructure.”

The May 19 summit will consist of three panels that will identify actions that various stakeholders have taken and can take to improve the economics of existing nuclear power plants. DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz will deliver the keynote address. Speakers from industry will include NEI President and Chief Executive Officer Marvin Fertel, PSEG Power President and CEO William Levis, Entergy Wholesale Commodities President Bill Mohl and Joe Dominguez, Exelon Corp.’s executive vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs and public policy. Other speakers include Sens. Michael Crapo (R-Idaho) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.).

More information on the summit and a webcast link is available on DOE’s website.