Legislators and industry experts unified on nuclear reactor preservation at DOE summit

At a summit held by the Department of Energy (DOE) last week, industry leaders, legislators and administration officials collaborated on the development of strategies and policies to prevent the premature shutdown of nuclear reactors that currently provide more than 60 percent of carbon-free power generation in the U.S.

“If we think in terms of 60-year lifetimes [for nuclear power plants], then the 2030s become a really critical time,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said. “What we are discussing today in this workshop, I like to think of as a bridge over these next 15 years to a time when nuclear is going to have to see a substantial resurgence to be a significant contributor to our carbon goals. We are prepared to take action.”

On the heels of Exelon’s announcement that three high-performing reactors in Illinois will shut down prematurely if sufficient legislation is not passed to bolster the plants’ financial situation, discussion at the summit centered on the preservation of existing reactors.

“We have some real challenges for our existing fleet, which is an exceptionally well-performing fleet,” Nuclear Energy Institute President and Chief Executive Officer Marvin Fertel said. “We have a systemic problem, and unless we address the systemic problem, we’re going to have a bigger problem.…We see another 15 to 20 plants at risk of premature shutdown over the next five to 10 years.”