News & Events

Good afternoon. First of all I'd like to say how honored I am to be part of such a prestigious panel. The expertise present today is truly impressive.

NEI is the Washington-based policy organization representing the nuclear energy and technologies industry. Our mission is to foster the beneficial uses of nuclear technologies.

I'd like to take a moment to talk about the important role nuclear energy plays in the United States.

As many of you may know, the U.S. is currently undergoing a widespread restructuring and deregulation of the electric power industry. There is a heightened awareness of energy issues on the part of policymakers and the public. As a result, a greater examination is taking place in this country of all sources of electricity—and in a more comprehensive way than ever before.

Today, more than 100 nuclear units supply twenty percent of electricity in the United States. On average, these energy plants are 18 years old, and with an anticipated licensed life of 60 years, these plants will generate electricity in this country for many years to come.

The focus of the industry has always been, and will always be, safety. And, this safety record, in turn, has enabled us to make some impressive performance improvements. In fact, despite the fact that no new plants have been built in the U.S., improvements made in plant capacity over the last decade have been equivalent of bringing 19 virtual new plants on-line.