Nuclear Energy Institute president applauds Perry’s move to preserve baseload power
Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Maria Korsnick commended Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s decision to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take steps to preserve baseload sources of electricity.
“We applaud Secretary Perry for taking decisive action to preserve the nation’s nuclear fleet, a step that will benefit ratepayers, homeowners and small businesses from all walks of American life,” Korsnick said.
Korsnick noted that the decision addresses several problems with the U.S. electric sector, including markets that don’t properly value everything that is important to the electric system.
“America needs energy that is clean, reliable, and obtained from diverse sources, that contributes to economic prosperity and national security,” Korsnick said. “But our pricing system is badly broken and is failing to serve the interests of Main Street USA. It is based almost entirely on short-term price. As a result, nuclear reactors, which provide benefits that everyone agrees we need, find themselves struggling to survive when the nation needs them most.”
Kornick also highlighted how recent disruptions due to hurricanes and polar vortices demonstrated the need for reliable baseload but that electricity does not usually garner much attention from policymakers unless it is disrupted.
“This timely move is especially needed for nuclear plants because once they close, they close forever,” Korsnick said. “The clear benefits they provide in terms of jobs, economic growth and environmental protection disappear too, thus the need for this decisive action now. The Secretary’s action makes clear that for FERC and the independent system operators that this must be their top priority.”
