Nuclear Shutdowns Could Ramp Up U.S. Carbon Emissions

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601533/nuclear-shutdowns-could-ramp-up-us-carbon-emissions/

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Nuclear Shutdowns Could Ramp Up U.S. Carbon Emissions[/font]

[font size=4]As many as 20 nuclear plants could close over the next decade, adding to greenhouse gas emissions.[/font]

by Richard Martin | May 20, 2016

[font size=3]As many as 20 nuclear plants in the United States could shut down over the next decade, and their closure could dramatically increase emissions of greenhouse gases. That was the alarming conclusion of a Department of Energy conference on the future of nuclear power yesterday in Washington, D.C.

"We are supposed to be adding zero carbon sources, not subtracting (them),” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in his remarks at the meeting.

The average age of the U.S. nuclear fleet is 35 years, and many of those plants are nearing the end of their operating licenses. Many will renew their licenses, but some will close due to economic reasons and environmental concerns. Replacing those plants with natural gas plants will add millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

[font size=1]The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California.[/font]

Replacing nuclear with wind and solar power, of course, does not add to carbon dioxide emissions. But history shows that the constant supply of electricity from nuclear plants tends to be replaced by new natural gas generation—indeed, the low price of natural gas is a major factor driving the closing of older nuclear plants.

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[tonyt53]

1. Yes, natural gas power production is many times less expensive, and more profitable

A typical coal-fired plant, with modern emission controls would run about $4K per kilowatt to build. Multiply that by about 2.5 for a nuke. Cut that by about 2/3 and you can have the same production with natural gas in a combined cycle plant. Plus the gas plant can be build in about half the time as the coal-fired plant and in about a tenth of the time as a nuke. We sure do need storage of some type to make alternatives/renewables more palatable to many people.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. In this case, we’re talking about replacing plants which already exist

(The construction cost is significantly lower if the old plant remains on-line.)