Nuclear energy plants in the United States collectively prevent more than 531 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, according to a new study by a Washington D.C.-based environmental consulting firm.
The report, by the The Horinko Group, makes a case for the importance of nuclear power, arguing its use will be a key component in meeting CO2 reduction goals set by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of its Clean Power Plan (CPP). The CPP calls for annual CO2 emission reductions of 413 million tons by 2030, but without nuclear power, those reductions would be more than negated, the report argues.
“As states work toward ambitious carbon emission reduction goals, such as those under the EPA’s CPP, this report underscores that it would be foolish to take an energy source like nuclear off the table,” said Carol Browner, former EPA Administrator and a member of the Nuclear Matters Leadership Council. “New York has recently led the way in taking steps to value nuclear plants appropriately for their carbon-free attributes, and we encourage policymakers in other states to take similar steps to recognize nuclear’s value. This is critical to stemming the tide of premature nuclear plant closures and making sure we do not deprive ourselves of these significant sources of carbon-free baseload power.”
Other key findings of The Horinko Group study include the following:
- Nuclear energy provides nearly 20 percent of the country’s electricity supply, while accounting for roughly 63 percent of the United States’ carbon-free electricity. Nuclear plants in the U.S. have the highest reliability of all energy sources on the grid;
- Past experience demonstrates that when nuclear power is lost, emissions increase;
- In the near term, further premature nuclear retirements will most likely be replaced by fossil-fueled sources because of their comparable operating characteristics and scale;
- A region or state that loses nuclear power in the next several years to decades can expect an increase in CO2 emissions. For example:
- In New England: After years of declining emissions, in 2015 New England’s GHG emissions rose by 2 million tons after the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant closed.
