The future of nuclear energy

Nuclear energy will play an important role in providing the electricity our country needs in the future. Our government recognized the importance of nuclear energy in a law, The Energy Policy Act of 2005. This law encourages the building of new nuclear plants in the United States.

The Department of Energy believes that demand for electricity will grow 1.4 percent each year through 2030. We must increase electricity production by 40 percent to meet this demand. That means building about 300 new, large, 1,000-megawatt power plants.

Among those plants will be nuclear plants, because nuclear energy gives our country benefits that other energy sources, such as coal, natural gas, and renewables do not have. Nuclear energy can produce large amounts of electricity around the clock, day and night, reliably, and at a low cost. Most important, nuclear energy makes electricity without producing any air pollution or greenhouse gases that my cause global warming.

Energy companies are already taking the steps necessary to build new nuclear plants. A number of them have joined together in several cooperative groups, called “consortia,” to share the work and the cost of building the first few new plants. These consortia are applying to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for licenses to build and operate the new plants and for permits to build them at various sites across the country. Many people believe that new nuclear plant construction will begin sometime between 2010 and 2015.

In addition, energy companies that already own and operate existing nuclear plants have applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to have the operating licenses of these plants renewed. The original license is for 40 years, and can be renewed for an additional 20. So far, the NRC has approved license renewal for 48 plants; an additional 8 have applied for renewal, and 25 others have told the NRC that they will apply for renewal soon. That’s a total of 81 plants, three-fourths of our nation’s 104 operating plants. In fact, almost all of the 104 plants are expected to apply for license renewal.

The topics that we have just discussed can be a little complicated when you look at them in detail, but if you are interested, here are some suggestions for further information.

For the Energy Policy Act of 2005, see the Web section, Government Programs Supporting the Building of New Nuclear Plants, and the fact sheet, Highlights of Nuclear Energy Provisions in Comprehensive Energy Legislation (H.R. 6).

For our country’s future energy needs and the benefits of nuclear energy, see the Web section Nuclear Energy Vital to the New Economy and the policy brief, New Nuclear Plants Needed to Meet Energy Demand, Maintain Supply Diversity.

For the new plant consortia, see the Web section Industry Progress Toward Building New Nuclear Plants.

For license renewal, see the fact sheet, Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal.

Nuclear Energy Institute—Washington, DC
August 2000