Nuclear industry leaders continue to press states to preserve nuclear plants

At an energy sector meeting held in Chicago last week, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Senior Director of Policy Development Matt Crozat emphasized the impacts of prematurely shuttering nuclear plants and encouraged taking measures to preserve them.

Exelon Corp. hosted the Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Partnership (EMCP), which is a program of the private-sector U.S. Council on Competitiveness, in partnership with The Pennsylvania State University and Argonne National Laboratory.

At the EMCP, Crozat highlighted public-private partnerships such as such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative, which seeks to help innovators prepare for the deployment of advanced technologies.

Crozat also advocated for the continuation, or even expansion, of DOE’s Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program in order to maintain the current fleet of nuclear reactors to a potential 80 years of operations. He also noted that markets must provide fair compensation for nuclear plants.

“We must preserve existing nuclear plants, sustain our nuclear technology expertise and build versatile new reactors to support America’s future,” Crozat said.

The nuclear industry continues to urge states to implement policies, such as those adopted by Illinois and New York, to preserve their nuclear fleets. States including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut and New Jersey are considering such legislation.

The EMCP followed an announcement by Exelon that it plans to close its Three Mile Island Generating Station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania absent policy reforms. Nuclear energy is currently not included in the states Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS). Nuclear plants produce 93 percent of the state’s emissions-free electricity.