Daily nuclear capacity outages in the U.S. dropped by 19 percent this summer, from June through August, compared to the same period last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Outages averaged 2.5 gigawatts, down from the 3.1-gigawatt average in summer 2021. The decline is largely due to fewer unplanned outages, which fell by…...
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin on Oct. 3 released the state’s 2022 Energy Plan which provides an analytical assessment of the current energy economy and outlines an approach for policy decisions. To meet the growing demand of residents and businesses, the plan calls for an “all of the above” approach that taps nuclear, natural gas, renewables,…...
The U.S. nuclear energy sector is now on the verge of a revival after years of premature plant closures and dim forecasts. Investments and tax incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enacted in August, add new momentum to the nuclear power industry.
The U.S. Energy Department on Sep. 13 released a study evaluating the benefits and challenges associated with a coal-to-nuclear, or C2N, transition in the U.S. The transition could increase nuclear capacity to over 350 gigawatts, according to the report. By comparison, the existing nuclear power fleet has a capacity of 95 gigawatts and provides half…...
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has sent a letter to the U.S. Energy Department, in support of Holtec International’s application for a federal grant under the Civil Nuclear Credit, or CNC program, to save the Palisades Nuclear Facility in Southwest Michigan. Governor Whitmer noted that keeping Palisades operational is critical for the state’s competitiveness and future…...
California lawmakers on Sept. 1 passed a bill to provide a $1.4 billion loan to extend operations at the state’s last operating nuclear power plant Diablo Canyon by an additional five years. The plant’s two units are scheduled to be retired in 2024 and 2025. The proposal, also part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s agenda, cleared…...
The U.S. power grid, in the first six months of 2022, added 15 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity, according to an Aug. 3 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind generation had the largest share with 34 percent, gas had the second largest share, and solar and battery storage made up the rest.…
The U.S. Energy Department on Aug. 3 issued a notice of its decision to build a Versatile Test Reactor, VTR, at the Idaho National Laboratory. The initiative would facilitate the modernization of U.S. nuclear energy research and development infrastructure and accelerate technology development for current and next-generation reactors. The sodium-cooled reactor would be the first…...
The U.S. produced 21,000 pounds of uranium concentrate last year, which is less than one percent of the 2014 production of 4.9 million pounds, the highest since 2000, according to a July 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Uranium is the fuel that is widely used by nuclear power plants for nuclear fission…....