The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) recently called on states to keep their nuclear power plants operational as they begin implementing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan.
The NEI calls for federal and state carbon-emission reduction plans to include measures that facilitate flexibility for nuclear plants across the U.S. and protect their existence.
NEI Vice President for Public Policy Development and Planning Richard Myers said in a recent letter to the EPA that a big factor in the recent premature closures of nuclear power plants is “the failure of electricity markets to recognize the attributes of nuclear power plants and the value they bring to the electric supply system, including their carbon-abatement value.”
The NEI has called on the EPA to ensure that state Clean Power Plan implementation plans incorporate measures to preserve nuclear power plants currently in operation. The NEI also recommends that states help companies maintain existing nuclear plants and invest in license renewals.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state's Public Service Commission approved a plan that would require measures to be implemented that ensure 50 percent of the state’s energy is generated through renewable generation methods by 2030. However, this effort was not sufficient to reverse Entergy's decision to close the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba, New York.
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