U.S. Retired Over 4.7 Gigawatts of Nuclear Power Capacity Since 2018: EIA

In 2021, nuclear electricity generation in the U.S. declined for the second straight year, according to a report published by the Energy Information Administration on Apr 8. A total of 778 million megawatt-hours was produced by U.S. nuclear power plants in 2021, which is 1.5 percent less than the previous year. Across all sectors, nuclear contributed 19 percent to U.S. electricity production in 2021, maintaining its average share in the past decade.

Since the end of 2017, six nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 4,736 megawatts were retired. Three more reactors with a total capacity of 3,009 megawatts are scheduled for retirement in the next few years. The Palisades plant in Michigan will close later this year, and the Diablo Canyon plant in California will shut down two generating units in 2024 and 2025.

In 2021, the retirement of Indian Point Unit 3 resulted in a loss of electricity generation, which was partially offset by a higher capacity factor of the remaining nuclear fleet. Nuclear units tend to operate most of the time, and their capacity factors are higher than those of almost any other electricity-generating technology. Since 2012, the U.S. nuclear fleet has been operating at a capacity factor of at least 90 percent each year, and in 2021, it reached 93 percent.

Despite rising output from renewable sources and natural gas power plants, the U.S. nuclear fleet continues to be utilized at high and consistent rates, according to the agency. However, nuclear power plant retirements are primarily due to competitive wholesale power markets.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Energy Department launched the $6 billion nuclear credits program approved by Congress in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted in November 2021, to provide federal aid to existing financially-challenged nuclear plants at risk of closing. The agency released a request for information on various parameters of the program, under which nuclear plant operators can get federal credits if they demonstrate they are at risk of closure due to their inability to compete with renewables. The RFI sought input on the certification process and eligibility criteria for reactors applying for credits, among other issues.

The Biden Administration regards the current fleet of 93 nuclear reactors as a vital resource to achieve net-zero emissions across the economy by the year 2050. Currently, nuclear power generates about 52 percent of the nation’s carbon-free electricity. However, 12 commercial reactors in the U.S. have been forced to close early due to shifting energy markets and other economic factors since 2013.

Georgia is building two nuclear power plants that are expected to come online by the end of 2023 (Vogtle Units 3 and 4). With a capacity of 1,114 megawatts each, the project represents the first nuclear generating units to come online since Tennessee’s Watts Bar Unit 2 went live in mid-2016.