{"id":619177,"date":"2023-03-17T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/17\/the-u-s-is-racing-to-revitalize-its-nuclear-industry\/"},"modified":"2023-03-17T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T21:00:00","slug":"the-u-s-is-racing-to-revitalize-its-nuclear-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/17\/the-u-s-is-racing-to-revitalize-its-nuclear-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. Is Racing To Revitalize Its Nuclear Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pagecontent\">\n<div>\n<div id=\"singleArticle__sidebar\">\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d32r1sh890xpii.cloudfront.net\/avatars\/medium\/28a0a73f6d6512e5621b8e70ebee3367.jpg\" alt=\"Felicity Bradstock\" title=\"Felicity Bradstock\" previous-src=\"data:image\/png;base64,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\"><\/p>\n<p>Felicity Bradstock<\/p>\n<p>Felicity Bradstock is a freelance writer specialising in Energy and Finance. She has a Master\u2019s in International Development from the University of Birmingham, UK.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/contributors\/Felicity-Bradstock\">More Info<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><h3>Premium Content<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t    <\/ul>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"singleArticle__content\" data-spons=\"0\" data-id=\"33199\">\n<p><span>By <a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/contributors\/Felicity-Bradstock\">Felicity Bradstock<\/a> &#8211; Mar 17, 2023, 4:00 PM CDT<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"key_points\">\n<ul>\n<li>The U.S. is ramping up its investments in nuclear power to bring it back from the brink and use it to support a green transition.<\/li>\n<li>By 2021, the U.S. had 93 nuclear reactors in operation, with a combined generation capacity of 95,492 MW and 19 sites at various stages of decommissioning.<\/li>\n<li>Public opinion has swayed in favor of nuclear power due to its promotion as a clean energy source and last year&#8217;s energy crisis, resulting in greater government funding for the energy source.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-content\">\n<p><html><body><\/p>\n<p>Unlike many other countries around the world, the U.S. has kept its nuclear power up and running, making it the biggest producer of nuclear power today. Nevertheless, after falling out of public favor, nuclear power was little talked about in previous decades, with many power plants going into debt and barely keeping afloat. At present, nuclear power provides around 20 percent of the electricity generated in the United States, and this is largely thanks to government grants helping power plants maintain operations. But now, as countries worldwide consider nuclear power once again, the U.S. is ramping up its investments in the low-carbon energy source in a bid to bring nuclear back from the brink and use it to support a green transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The first nuclear power plant in the United States was opened in 1958, and by the end of 2021, the U.S. had\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/nuclear\/us-nuclear-industry.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">93 nuclear reactors in operation<\/a>, across 55 nuclear power plants in 28 states. The combined generation capacity of these reactors totaled 95,492 MW. Many of the reactors are 40 years old or more, due to the reluctance to invest in new nuclear projects following several prolific disasters in previous decades. The last two nuclear reactors to come online were Watts Bar Unit 1 in 1996 and Watts Bar Unit 2 in 2016. In addition, several sites were closed over the last decade, with 19 sites at various stages of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.gov\/info-finder\/decommissioning\/power-reactor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">decommissioning<\/a>\u00a0by 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite the poor public opinion of nuclear power in past decades, it continues to contribute a significant proportion of U.S. electricity. And last year, the Department of Energy (DoE) announced a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/articles\/doe-establishes-6-billion-program-preserve-americas-clean-nuclear-energy-infrastructure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$6 billion investment to preserve America\u2019s clean energy nuclear infrastructure<\/a>. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\u2019s Civil Nuclear Credit Programme, which identified nuclear power as America\u2019s largest source of clean energy. The DoE highlighted that helping the country\u2019s nuclear plants survive would support thousands of clean energy jobs, as well as prevent the release of unnecessary carbon emissions. Nuclear power is now being seen by the DoE as key to achieving President Biden\u2019s climate pledges and supporting the country\u2019s green transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s not only the government that has changed its stance on nuclear power, with recent polls showing greater public support for the energy source. A 2022 Gallup poll showed that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/392831\/americans-divided-nuclear-energy.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">public opinion has swayed in favor of nuclear power<\/a>, with 51 percent for nuclear and 47 percent opposed. This marks a significant shift from 54 percent opposed in 2016. This change is likely largely in response to the energy crisis seen last year, which sent consumer energy bills soaring. In addition, the combination of nuclear power being promoted as a clean energy source and the length of time since the last major nuclear event has improved public perception.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Several\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/11-big-wins-nuclear-energy-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">strides<\/a>\u00a0were seen in the nuclear industry in 2022, after years of stagnation. The country\u2019s biggest nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon in California, received a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/articles\/biden-harris-administration-announces-major-investment-preserve-americas-clean-nuclear\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$1.1 billion conditional award<\/a>\u00a0of credits from the DoE to extend operations. There were originally plans for the plant to be decommissioned in 2024 and 2025, but this changed after introducing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Several advanced reactor firms saw progress toward deploying small modular reactors (SMRs) nationwide. And the DoE invested heavily in research and development, carrying out a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/could-nations-coal-plant-sites-help-drive-clean-energy-transition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study<\/a>\u00a0that determined that approximately 80 percent of U.S. coal power plant sites evaluated could be converted into nuclear power plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And there are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/5-nuclear-energy-stories-watch-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">big plans for 2023<\/a>\u00a0and beyond. In a movement away from U.S. reliance on foreign uranium, the DoE is investing in developing domestic\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/what-high-assay-low-enriched-uranium-haleu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU)<\/a>, with production expected to start this year. Meanwhile, at New York\u2019s Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station, we are seeing advances in combining clean energy projects with plans for the first production of clean hydrogen using low-temperature electrolysis this year. The hydrogen will be used to help cool the facility. This is one of four\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/4-nuclear-power-plants-gearing-clean-hydrogen-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nuclear-powered hydrogen demonstration projects<\/a>\u00a0being supported by the DoE.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As well as publicly-funded projects, several private projects are gaining traction. Bill Gates\u2019 TerraPower and X-energy are advancing on each of their construction permit applications, expected to submit them to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) within the next year. This could support the launch of new types of nuclear technologies such as TerraPower\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/next-gen-nuclear-plant-and-jobs-are-coming-wyoming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Natrium reactor<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a sodium-cooled fast reactor, and X-energy\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/x-energy-developing-pebble-bed-reactor-they-say-cant-melt-down\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Xe-100 high-temperature gas reactor SMR plant<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But now, all eyes are on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.georgiapower.com\/company\/plant-vogtle\/fun-facts-and-faq.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Georgia Power\u2019s Vogtle<\/a>\u00a0nuclear reactor, which was launched this month. The Vogtle nuclear reactor Unit 3 started a nuclear reaction inside the reactor last week, a process called \u201cinitial criticality.\u201d This is the process in which nuclear fission begins to split atoms and generate heat. The heat makes the water boil, and the steam created spins a turbine that\u2019s connected to a generator, creating electricity. Unit 3 will become fully operational in May or June, according to the company. The CEO of Georgia Power, Chris Womack, stated: \u201cThis is a truly exciting time as we prepare to bring online a new nuclear unit that will serve our state with clean and emission-free energy for the next 60 to 80 years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As both the U.S. government stance and public opinion shift in favour of nuclear power, we can expect to see investment in the sector increase substantially, and new operations come online. An increase in public funding for nuclear projects is helping to create momentum around research and development, supporting innovations in nuclear technology and the potential for creating non-traditional reactors. Meanwhile, private companies are responding to DoE investments by putting their money into nuclear power to support decarbonization aims and, ultimately a green transition.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com<\/p>\n<p><strong>More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/Coal-Is-Still-King-In-Asia-But-Renewables-Are-On-The-Rise.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Coal Is Still King In Asia, But Renewables Are On The Rise<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/Residential-Heat-Pumps-Could-Cut-US-Energy-Consumption-In-Half.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Residential Heat Pumps Could Cut U.S. Energy Consumption In Half<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/Sri-Lankas-Energy-Crisis-Is-Weighing-On-its-Economy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sri Lanka\u2019s Energy Crisis Is Weighing On its Economy<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/body><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t    <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t    <\/html><\/div>\n<div>\n<h5>Download The Free Oilprice App Today<\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/in\/app\/oilprice\/id1389772617?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/d1o9e4un86hhpc.cloudfront.net\/a\/img\/cl\/app\/appstoredownload.svg\"><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=oilprice.android.app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/d1o9e4un86hhpc.cloudfront.net\/a\/img\/cl\/app\/androidbutton.png\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/d1o9e4un86hhpc.cloudfront.net\/a\/img\/cl\/app\/androidbutton.png\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/\">Back to homepage<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d32r1sh890xpii.cloudfront.net\/avatars\/medium\/28a0a73f6d6512e5621b8e70ebee3367.jpg\" alt=\"Felicity Bradstock\" title=\"Felicity Bradstock\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>Felicity Bradstock<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t            Felicity Bradstock is a freelance writer specialising in Energy and Finance. She has a Master\u2019s in International Development from the University of Birmingham, UK.\t          <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/contributors\/Felicity-Bradstock\">More Info<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Related posts<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/#\" id=\"join-discussion\">Leave a comment<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Alternative-Energy\/Nuclear-Power\/The-US-Is-Racing-To-Revitalize-Its-Nuclear-Industry.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Rebecka Motsinger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Felicity Bradstock Felicity Bradstock is a freelance writer specialising in Energy and Finance. She has a Master\u2019s in International Development from the University of Birmingham, UK. More Info Premium Content By Felicity Bradstock &#8211; Mar 17, 2023, 4:00 PM CDT The U.S. is ramping up its investments in nuclear power to bring it back from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":619178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[534,22951,120437],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-619177","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-financial","8":"category-racing","9":"category-revitalize"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}