NEI Provides 6 Reasons Why Nuclear Needs to be a Key Part of the U.S. Energy Mix

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Nuclear Power - Economics, Design, & Industry

Date posted: 09/06/16

NEI opines that the U.S. nuclear energy plants are the largest source of carbon-free power. They produce clean, reliable electricity as well as well-paying jobs. Although several dependable nuclear plants have closed in recent years for economic reasons, nuclear energy is getting a fresh look for its ability to produce vast amounts of power without emitting greenhouse gases. And with new reactor designs, both big and small, scientists and technologists are re-engineering the future of nuclear energy for the benefit of all. Built in a factory and delivered by truck to locations in need of energy, a small modular reactor (SMR) can power a mid-sized city on its own. SMRs provide nuclear energy key benefits .. reliable, carbon-free power, at a lower price and shorter construction timetable than their larger cousins. And because they are modular, owners can scale up as electricity demand increases. Small reactors have powered the U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers for decades. Now, companies such as Bechtel (with BWXT), Fluor (via NuScale), General Atomics, and Westinghouse see opportunities for developing new commercial designs. A lot of SMRs are designed so you could drop them in as replacements for coal plants, says Jeff Terry, physics professor at the Illinois IT. Topics covered ... 1. NEXT-GENERATION NUCLEAR COULD MAKE ENERGY MIRACLES 2. NUCLEAR ENERGY IS IMPORTANT BOTH RIGHT NOW AND FOR THE FUTURE 3. WE NEED TO MEET OUR CLIMATE GOALS (AND WITHOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY, WE WIll NOT.) 4. NUCLEAR MAKES ELECTRIC VEHICLES EVEN GREENER 5. NUCLEAR equals HEALTHY CLIMATE equals HEALTHY PEOPLE 6. THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY The four reactors under construction in the U.S. now may appear modest compared to the 30 under way in China and the dozens more it is planning. But when these four U.S.reactors are online, adding to a newly built Tennessee reactor, they will generate more electricity than all U.S. solar power combined.