U.S. nuclear power plants to provide $85 billion in carbon-abatement value by year 2020

The study “Nuclear Power and the Clean Energy Future” revealed on Monday that the carbon-abatement value of U.S. nuclear power plants will be worth approximately $85 billion by year 2020, without which states would find it very difficult to meet federal clean energy goals.

The 531 million tons of CO2 emissions prevented by nuclear plants was estimated using federal government guidelines. The Clean Power Plan, presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, establishes a goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 413 million tons annually by 2030. The goal would be negated without the aid of national nuclear plants, the study said. The study was conducted on behalf of the energy advocacy group Nuclear Matters and was performed by the Horinko Group, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental consulting firm.

“As states work toward ambitious carbon emission reduction goals, such as those under the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, this report underscores that it would be foolish to take an energy source like nuclear off the table,” Nuclear Matters Leadership Council Member Carol Browner said. “New York has recently led the way in taking steps to value nuclear plants appropriately for their carbon-free attributes, and we encourage policymakers in other states to take similar steps to recognize nuclear’s value. This is critical to stemming the tide of premature nuclear plant closures and making sure we do not deprive ourselves of these significant sources of carbon-free baseload power.”

Nuclear energy is responsible for approximately 19 percent of the country’s supply of electricity, simultaneously accounting for approximately 62 percent of the nation’s carbon-free electricity. Premature or planned closures still occurred in approximately 10 nuclear power plants nationally since 2013.

Wind, solar and hydropower also generate carbon-free electricity. They cannot, however, supply the large demand for constant baseload power, which nuclear plants provide. The report predicts that decommissioned nuclear reactors will certainly be replaced by fossil-fueled plants, likely increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Such cases occurred in New England following the closure of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in 2014, and in California after the 2011 closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.