In case you haven’t heard, it’s officially awards season! Full glamour and red carpets accompanied by fierce competition for many forms of art and media, awards season is a spectacle and dream for many. Actors and actresses work their entire careers for a chance to be on that stage. They hone their craft, down to the exact brogue or angle of a smile to create something meaningful and powerful for the world to experience. Some wins are surprising, with snubs feeling personal somehow, but some are vindicating and powerful, speaking to a deeper impact on us.
Watching it all unfold from my couch, I’m usually tuning in for the meme-worthy moments. But this year, there’s another achievement that warrants recognition — not a confused look from Ryan Gosling to be seen. For ten years in a row, the nuclear industry has consistently achieved reductions in its total generating costs, which include capital costs, operating costs, and fuel costs, as defined by EUCG — a.k.a. all the costs needed to generate electricity from a nuclear power plant. From 2012 to 2022, the total generating cost of U.S. nuclear plants decreased by 39.6%.
Inflation has been hitting the energy industry hard as a whole, affecting both new projects and operating plants of all generation sources. U.S. nuclear plants are still committed to finding innovative ways to save to save consumers money. NEI’s annual TIP awards highlight some of the innovations being implemented at plants across the nation, including deploying robot dogs to take environmental measurements, demonstrating generation of clean hydrogen, and fuel design improvements.
The U.S. nuclear fleet deserves its moment in the spotlight complete with sequins and a standing ovation. Much like this season’s award winners, the existing fleet has a bright future ahead. The industry added to its legacy of reliable, clean electricity generation last year at the lowest cost since EUCG started collecting data in 2002. Because of nuclear’s remarkable leading roles in clean energy production, federal and state legislators are recognizing the value of nuclear plants. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act are helping America’s nuclear plants prepare for the best operations possible through second license renewals, uprates, and more.
Several states have passed legislation to not only support existing reactors and their surrounding communities, but also build new advanced nuclear technologies. That’s unsurprising, given that utilities and financial institutions like Bank of America are recognizing that nuclear energy is the most cost-effective source of clean energy, especially when considering the reliability of the overall electric system.
But before the outro music plays and the U.S. nuclear industry gets back to its craft – affordable, reliable clean electricity – I do want to note that this achievement couldn’t have been made without our industry’s talented, dedicated workforce running our plants 24/7 to keep them going. Even now, as most of the United States is awash with freezing temperatures (and ice jams!), the nuclear fleet is there, creating warm moments – both literally and figuratively.
Watching it all unfold from my couch, I’m usually tuning in for the meme-worthy moments. But this year, there’s another achievement that warrants recognition — not a confused look from Ryan Gosling to be seen. For ten years in a row, the nuclear industry has consistently achieved reductions in its total generating costs, which include capital costs, operating costs, and fuel costs, as defined by EUCG — a.k.a. all the costs needed to generate electricity from a nuclear power plant. From 2012 to 2022, the total generating cost of U.S. nuclear plants decreased by 39.6%.
Inflation has been hitting the energy industry hard as a whole, affecting both new projects and operating plants of all generation sources. U.S. nuclear plants are still committed to finding innovative ways to save to save consumers money. NEI’s annual TIP awards highlight some of the innovations being implemented at plants across the nation, including deploying robot dogs to take environmental measurements, demonstrating generation of clean hydrogen, and fuel design improvements.
The U.S. nuclear fleet deserves its moment in the spotlight complete with sequins and a standing ovation. Much like this season’s award winners, the existing fleet has a bright future ahead. The industry added to its legacy of reliable, clean electricity generation last year at the lowest cost since EUCG started collecting data in 2002. Because of nuclear’s remarkable leading roles in clean energy production, federal and state legislators are recognizing the value of nuclear plants. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act are helping America’s nuclear plants prepare for the best operations possible through second license renewals, uprates, and more.
Several states have passed legislation to not only support existing reactors and their surrounding communities, but also build new advanced nuclear technologies. That’s unsurprising, given that utilities and financial institutions like Bank of America are recognizing that nuclear energy is the most cost-effective source of clean energy, especially when considering the reliability of the overall electric system.
But before the outro music plays and the U.S. nuclear industry gets back to its craft – affordable, reliable clean electricity – I do want to note that this achievement couldn’t have been made without our industry’s talented, dedicated workforce running our plants 24/7 to keep them going. Even now, as most of the United States is awash with freezing temperatures (and ice jams!), the nuclear fleet is there, creating warm moments – both literally and figuratively.
Julianne McCallum
Manager, Data and Analysis
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