8 May (NucNet): The importance of the current fleet of nuclear reactors in the US should not be forgotten as the country considers options for a low-carbon future, with nuclear energy “the largest source” of zero-emission power in the country, a study says.
The study, by the Arlington, Virginia-based Centre for Energy and Climate Solutions, says until utility-scale electricity storage for renewables is a reality and they can serve as reliable baseload power, the loss of nuclear plants from the electricity grid would likely lead to millions of tonnes of additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere each year. “This is a prospect the global climate cannot afford,” the study says.
The 100 commercial reactors in the US supplied 19 percent of electricity in 2012 and accounted for 60 percent of electricity generated at plants that don’t emit carbon dioxide. Whereas the total emissions associated with nuclear power are similar to that of wind or solar power, unlike wind and solar plants, nuclear plants can run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making them suitable to provide baseload power.
The study says that four reactors were retired in 2013 and another is scheduled to go offline this autumn, representing just over four percent of the total US nuclear capacity. Depending on how that generating capacity is replaced, these retirements alone could lead to a release of an additional 12 million to 18.25 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – or the same amount emitted yearly by two million to 3.6 million passenger vehicles, according to the study.
There are five new reactors under construction in the US, but the first won’t be ready until December 2015 at the earliest, and the others won’t start up until 2017 or later. In the meantime, subtracted nuclear capacity is likely to be replaced in large part by fossil fuel plants.
The study is online: www.c2es.org/publications/climate-solutions-role-nuclear-power
