Newsroom Archive

Why the construction of Units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle in Georgia matter for our clean energy future.

Our hyperlinked world presents us with a day-to-day flood of events, so fast that we sometimes miss the patterns. But here’s one worth watching: organizations that in the past did not say nice things about nuclear energy are chiming in lately to recognize its value: to clean air, climate, preservation of fragile wilderness environments and national security.

Exciting and glamourous are not adjectives Alexandra Garcia would use to describe the work she performs each day at North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Virginia . A more appropriate word would be critical—as she spends her days performing rigorous calculations and detailed assessments that ensure the continued safe operation of the plant. But don’t expect Garcia to tout her own importance—rather expect her to give credit to her colleagues and the nuclear industry.

In an ambitious move to bring its carbon emissions to zero, Xcel Energy Inc. has announced a clean energy vision that will deliver 100 percent carbon-free electricity to its customers by 2050. The plan is the most aggressive to date in the electric power industry.

On a family visit with my 12-year-old niece to Philadelphia recently, my niece, Helen, solved climate change. She suggested that we, on Earth, find a planet in our galaxy with a species that breathes in carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen and that we trade with them. Brilliant idea, but until we find that planet with “Carbon Breathers,” Pennsylvania state legislators have mapped out a smart plan to keep the state’s nuclear plants (which avoid 37 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, the equivalent of 8 million cars) up and running.

Energy storage technologies—and batteries in particular—are often seen as the “holy grail” to fully decarbonizing our future electricity grid, along with renewables and nuclear energy—which provides more than 56 percent of America’s carbon-free electricity.

This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee discussed a bipartisan bill designed to help America recapture its lead in nuclear energy technology in the face of increasing global competition. At a packed hearing on Capitol Hill, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) praised the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act.

NASA’s impressive landing of the Insight probe on Mars this week has drawn new attention to the next step: manned missions to the planet. While there are many challenges in sending humans to the Red Planet and getting them home, one of the biggest is something that nuclear technology can help with: generating electricity, heat, water and rocket fuel.

Jason Grumet, founder and president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, joins Monica Trauzzi for the sixth episode of “Off the Menu.”