BALTIMORE — Today, The Baltimore Sun published an op-ed by Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and CRES President Heather Reams discussing the Conservative Climate Foundation’s recent trip to Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant and outlining the need to maintain our current fleet of nuclear reactors and promote next-generation nuclear technologies to reduce emissions, grow the U.S. economy and provide reliable clean power.
Read the full op-ed here or below:
Protecting our environment for future generations while growing America’s economy and competitive edge is not the conundrum some make it out to be.
As vice chair of the House’s Conservative Climate Caucus and chair of the Conservative Climate Foundation (CCF), we know it’s the opposite. Reliable, affordable and clean energy is attainable — and has been for years. The United States can be a master of both conservation and economic prowess by expanding and leveraging the power of carbon-free nuclear energy technology.
CCF recently had the opportunity to tour Constellation Energy’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Calvert County. The station’s two nuclear reactors can generate up to 1,790 megawatts of zero-emissions energy — enough around-the-clock electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes.
Nuclear power is the most reliable form of electricity generation in the United States today, and you can count on it when you need it most. Last year, during one of the hottest summers on record, Constellation Energy’s reactors across the country operated at 99.4 percent capacity in June, July and August. Near-perfect reliability like that simply cannot be replicated by intermittent energy sources.
Nuclear energy is a reliable, baseload power source with zero emissions. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, nuclear-generated electricity avoids over 470 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year — all while providing affordable power to American homes and businesses.
With domestic demand for electricity expected to grow nearly 5 percent over the next few years and global electricity demand expected to increase by an average of 3.4 percent annually through 2026, it’s paramount that the United States reestablish its global leadership role in the nuclear sector: We must innovate, deploy and export new technologies that deliver reliable, affordable and clean energy.
Fortunately, Congress has responded to this need and in June sent the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act to President Joe Biden’s desk, where it became law. As the most significant bill to advance nuclear power in recent years, the ADVANCE Act will streamline and focus the licensing, regulation and deployment of nuclear energy technologies in the United States.
These much-needed reforms will unleash the potential of advanced nuclear technologies that have been stymied by permitting uncertainties and allow the United States to deploy emerging advanced nuclear technologies.
Attendees saw this firsthand in Calvert County. With the plant’s robust power-generating capacity, it may come as a surprise that Calvert Cliffs’ two reactors entered commercial operation in 1975 and 1977, respectively. In 2000, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the plant’s original 40-year operating licenses for both units for another 20 years — the first extensions granted to a commercial nuclear power plant.
While these extensions are critical to keeping existing reactors operational, the average age of U.S. commercial nuclear power reactors is 42 years. To meet anticipated demand, it’s clear that the United States must prioritize both the continued operation of existing power plants and the construction of new nuclear facilities.
In addition to maintaining our current nuclear fleet, we must also advance near-term next-generation technologies including micro reactors and small modular reactors. We must do this while continuing to research long-term opportunities such as nuclear fusion to ensure the United States remains on the cutting edge. The deployment of more nuclear technologies won’t just benefit our economy but will also strengthen our competitive edge around the world.
Other countries including China are outpacing the United States in the construction of new nuclear projects — a space where our country had historically led.
It’s time to reverse this. With the ADVANCE Act signed into law, we can hit multiple targets with one arrow: emissions reduction, economic growth and reliable clean power. Domestic companies will have more confidence to invest in nuclear projects that showcase American ingenuity and create good-paying jobs around the country.
Let’s continue to say “yes” to nuclear and bring our industry into the 21st century to protect the environment and boost our economy.
Rep. Greg Murphy is a Republican representing North Carolina in the House of Representatives and vice chair of the Conservative Climate Caucus. Heather Reams is president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions and chair of the Conservative Climate Foundation.
Read the full op-ed here.