Nuclear energy is effective at scale and produces no emissions, but the technology may not be ready to play a leading role in President Joe Biden’s environmental policies.
U.S. policymakers, primarily Democrats and their appointees, are working hard to implement the Biden administration’s policies. goal Although the U.S. power sector is expected to reach net-zero emissions by 2035, wind, solar, and other renewable sources of power generation have yet to demonstrate the same degree of reliability that nuclear power has demonstrated. Not yet. Despite this, Biden and lawmakers have so far made no progress in simplifying nuclear regulation and permitting, according to energy experts who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation. It is said that it has failed.
Biden administration frequent mention Nuclear power generates a large amount of electricity, along with solar and wind power, but nuclear power capacity in the United States has been largely stagnant since 1980. according to Submit to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Although the frequency with which new solar and wind power projects are announced and built is generally increasing, only a handful of new nuclear reactors have come online in the past 20 years, a trend that has not led to significant policy and regulatory changes. It may not change unless something changes. according to To EIA and power sector experts who spoke with DCNF.
“The cost of nuclear power is enormous because of the regulatory quagmire that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has created. It would be better to go back to the Atomic Energy Commission,” Dan Kish, a senior research fellow at the Energy Institute, told DCNF. “If the Greens and Biden really wanted to electrify everything and reduce carbon emissions, nuclear power would be the obvious answer, but they also oppose natural gas, which reduces coal emissions, so I’m not going to hold my breath. I think they will continue to reject anything that actually works because they don’t seem to want anything that will solve the problems they claim exist. Masu.”
At least the Biden administration 1 trillion dollars The generous subsidies in the Inflation Control Act (IRA) of 2021 and the bipartisan Infrastructure Act are aimed at accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.Both infrastructure package and Islay Contains provisions to prevent early decommissioning of nuclear facilities. However, neither law was sufficiently rational. Complex John Starkey, director of public policy at the American Nuclear Association, told DCNF that the regulatory environment for nuclear energy has improved and the overhead costs associated with building new capacity have been significantly reduced.
Starkey told DCNF that the IRA and infrastructure bill incentives are a “great start,” but “further support for cost overruns and first-mover support for the first advanced reactors would also be helpful.”
The administration is expressed A desire to build a domestic supply chain for nuclear power. dominated by Russia and China. But Biden also designated nearly 1 million acres of uranium-rich land in Arizona as a national monument in August 2023, barring any future mining claims in the area. (Related: Enviros cheered closure of New York’s giant nuclear facility, after which emissions skyrocketed)
From 🚨Exclusive🚨 @mikeginsberg98
Lawmakers urge Pentagon to introduce nuclear energy https://t.co/KeYmwzHj6X
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 13, 2023
Currently, there are 54 operating nuclear power plants in the United States, for a total of 93 commercial nuclear reactors, which combined have approximately 19% According to EIA, the amount of electricity in America. The average nuclear reactor is 42 years old, and licensing regulations limit its useful life to a maximum of 40 to 80 years. according to to EIA.
The potential of nuclear energy is also clear to many policy makers around the world. Over 20 countries including the United States, pledged Triple nuclear power generation to reduce emissions during COP28, the United Nations climate change summit to be held in the United Arab Emirates at the end of 2023. But multiple investors acknowledge that pledging in the U.S. may be more difficult than making it, given the high costs and regulatory environment that future nuclear power plant builders and operators will have to navigate. Energy sector and nuclear power experts told DCNF.
“I think the fundamental problem with nuclear power is an issue of risk aversion. People very strongly associate nuclear power with nuclear accidents, radiation leaks, and very serious health effects. And there’s a debate.” Brian Potter, senior infrastructure fellow at the Institute for Progress, told DCNF. “I’m no expert on how real those risks are, but there’s a lot of debate.”
“Organizations tasked with oversight and control tend to be very risk-averse, and the process of approvals and building these things out is very cumbersome,” Potter continued. “Overall, it makes it really, really difficult to build these things and to loosen regulations to make them easier to build.”
From a levelized capital cost perspective, nuclear power is the most expensive per unit of generation of all forms of electricity generation other than offshore wind, assuming it comes online in 2028. according to EIA data aggregated by Statista.
Notably, many Democrats and environmentalists oppose nuclear energy primarily because of the perceived safety risks. Historically, large-scale nuclear accidents such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima have caused significant environmental damage and loss of life, and regulations are often subsequently tightened to prevent new disasters.
But Starkey said these accidents, while tragic and destructive, do not represent the overall level of safety of nuclear power.
“I feel like even a lot of the environmentalist groups that used to be averse to nuclear power are now saying, ‘Wait a minute,’ and are cooling off,” Starkey told DCNF. . “As far as what happened in the past with respect to the nuclear disaster, the public and Congress are bipartisan on both sides, and we are starting to understand more about what happened. The deep fear is starting to ease little by little. (Related: Elon Musk calls for more fossil fuels and nuclear power to avoid energy crisis)
‘We can’t power the world with solar panels and wind turbines alone’: Bipartisan lawmakers argue for more nuclear energy https://t.co/b3IwG6YnF8
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 2, 2021
Starkey added that the NRC, the federal agency primarily responsible for regulating nuclear power generation, would not impose an unduly burdensome regulatory burden. But the agency is trying to become “leaner and meaner” while “maintaining strong safety standards,” Starkey said.
“We are focused on striking the right balance of our regulatory footprint while ensuring we continue to fulfill our safety mission,” an NRC spokesperson told DCNF. The spokesperson also advised the DCNF to march. speech NRC Chairman Christopher Hanson said his agency has two combined licenses, one design certification, one standard design approval, one manufacturing license, three operating licenses, and nine He said he plans to apply for construction permits for the project.
Congress also recognizes the need for streamlining in the nuclear sector, passing a nuclear reform bill in strong bipartisan fashion this week. However, plans by some senators to use the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill as a legislative tool for nuclear policy failed. according to To the Washington Examiner.
Despite the missed opportunity with the FAA bill, Starkey remains confident the nuclear package could pass the Senate if more opportunities present themselves in the coming weeks.
The Department of Energy did not respond to requests for comment.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
