The WNO reminds industry that nuclear power is the backbone of the U.S. electricity system, providing sustained economic benefits, assuring grid reliability and supplying the largest source of low-carbon energy, President Korsnick said. The U.S. nuclear fleet provides about 475,000 jobs and produces more than $12 billion annually in federal and state tax revenues, she added. Korsnick identified two challenges of immediate concern ... preserving its existing nuclear fleet, and creating policy conditions under which companies will build and develop new nuclear capacity.
The grid of the future will include a growing role for intermittent renewable energy. So the nuclear reactors of the future will accommodate that reality. Some will make electricity around the clock. Others will produce electricity when it is needed, then produce other products when it is not. Some will supply the transportation market. Nuclear electricity will charge batteries and nuclear process heat will make alternative fuels. Some reactors will make fresh water. Some will drive industrial production. Some reactors might even produce energy from partially used fuel, reducing the disposal burden, she said.
The existing nuclear power plants need to be preserved so that the knowledge and expertise developed in support of the current fleet will assist the development of new reactor technologies, she said. We have 4 reactors under construction in Georgia and South Carolina. These designs use passive safety approaches to advance the state of the art in nuclear technology. This approach was informed by decades of operational experience and innovation, Korsnick said. In addition, combined construction and operating licences for 7 additional reactors have been issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with 3 more currently being evaluated, providing valuable options for future development. SMRs are expected to be deployed in the early to mid-2020s and would maximize safety.
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