New England’s six governors recently met to discuss nuclear energy in the region. A joint-statement released by the bi-partisan group emphasized the important role nuclear power already plays in the New England grid. It also called for advancing nuclear technology to play a bigger role in the region’s grid.
ISO-New England, the agency responsible for managing the New England grid, is expecting a more than 40% increase in the region’s energy consumption over the next 2 decades. Currently, about 55% of New England’s electricity is generated using natural gas and 25% comes from nuclear.
Natural gas can provide a reliable energy source capable of responding to sudden demand spikes quickly. However, its ability to remain affordable relies on regional stability in areas known for instability. Ukraine, Russia, Iran and the Arabian gulf nations all play roles within the global energy market, especially regarding natural gas exports.
Now, in the midst of yet another middle-east war, and a realization among policy-makers that our renewable energy sources can’t meaningfully supplant our dependence on natural gas, New England’s governors have collectively agreed that it’s time to bring on more nuclear.
In the released joint-statement, two points of focus are outlined.
The first was to recognize the importance of keeping the region’s current nuclear assets operating, well maintained and generating affordable electricity. This task is identified as a shared responsibility between the six New England states.
Currently, the only nuclear power stations within New England are the Seabrook Power Station in New Hampshire and the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in Connecticut.
Going into the 1990’s, New England had 8 nuclear power plants feeding the region’s electrical grid, including Maine Yankee in Wiscasset. However, over the past 35 years, only Seabrook and Millstone have not been decommissioned.
The joint-statement recognizes New England’s last two nuclear power plants as regional assets and commits the energy departments within all 6 states to collaborate on ensuring they remain safe, affordable and reliable.
The second point called for collaboration between the 6 New England states on exploring advanced nuclear generation.
“Because our energy future is tied to a common grid, New England state energy offices shall work together and, in coordination and consultation with ISO New England, the federal government, and state, regional, and industry stakeholders, explore steps to deploy advanced nuclear generation in states and communities that express a willingness to host such resources.”
The statement goes on to explain that state energy offices will be directed to explore financing structures that may include…
“…federal funding and financial support opportunities; public-private partnerships; and regulatory designs for advanced nuclear energy that will protect consumers, help meet our region’s energy needs, and enable New England to capture job growth and economic development opportunities from the deployment of new nuclear technologies with advanced safety systems.”
The importance of including local voices was also emphasized. Working with interested communities to locate preferred locations and where potential waste should be stored was mentioned specifically.
They closed by identifying nuclear as an important part of the region’s energy future and part of New England’s push toward a more modern energy grid.
Maine’s legislature has already begun adopting this revising the state’s energy development policies. A bill proposed by Republican State Representative Reagan Paul of Winterport directing the Maine PUC to locate informational bids for small modular nuclear reactors was recently signed by the governor.
However, two other nuclear bills proposed by Rep. Paul were not so well received. Attempts to include nuclear within Maine’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and to remove the requirement for a statewide referendum on nuclear power plants both effectively died in committee.
—TMP