WASHINGTON, D.C.—Reacting to the U.S. Department of Energy electric grid study issued today Nuclear Energy Institute President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Korsnick said: “The U.S. Department of Energy’s electric grid study reaffirms our view that nuclear energy is a key and necessary contributor to a clean, reliable and resilient electric grid, which now is more important than ever.”
“In the 10 years since the last comprehensive grid study by our government electricity markets have changed radically,” Korsnick said. “Today electricity markets do not properly credit nuclear energy for the numerous benefits it delivers, forcing plants to close years before the end of their useful lives and compromising grid reliability and resiliency in the process.”
“As the leading clean source of baseload generation, nuclear energy is the linchpin of energy diversity and resiliency, and we must act with urgency to preserve it,” Korsnick said.
Korsnick called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to implement the study’s recommendations to value resiliency and other undervalued attributes that nuclear energy delivers to the grid. She noted that in just the past year New York and Illinois have acted to preserve nuclear plants.
“States are engaging because FERC has been so slow to act on flaws in price formation. The situation is dire, plants are closing—now is the time to act,” said Korsnick.
Korsnick added: “Electricity markets and energy policies must value diversity of generation, resilience and environmental protection in our electricity system—or we will lose these valuable attributes. We cannot allow the currently distorted markets to determine the energy mix we’ll have to live with for decades.”
“Nuclear energy is more than just clean, baseload electricity on our grid,” Korsnick said. “Nuclear plants have fuel on-site, in the reactor, ready to use, for 18-24 months, and our hardened facilities weather extreme elements in all seasons. Nuclear plants also provide more than 60 percent of our nation’s emissions-free energy—they must remain a part of our future clean energy mix. There is clear and unique value to our national grid with these attributes.”
“Secretary Perry should be commended for his leadership in releasing this important study. The Trump administration wants to achieve energy dominance, and that begins by preserving the existing nuclear fleet,” Korsnick said.