US plan to save ageing nuclear plants to off-set climate challenges

Officials in America are fighting to save the country’s nuclear power industry in the face of pressure from the Paris climate change agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Test cases to rescue nuclear power stations at risk of closure are taking place in Illinois, Ohio and New York, while supporters argue nuclear power should receive the same subsidies as solar and wind, as it creates no greenhouse gases and can operate in extreme conditions. However, critics of the policy say paying for more upgrades to already outdated units will put pressure on the consumer, while taking momentum away from true renewable energies.

Just a few years ago, the United States seemed poised to say farewell to nuclear energy. No company had completed a new plant in decades, and the disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011 intensified public disenchantment with the technology, both here and abroad.

But as the Paris agreement on climate change has put pressure on the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, some state and federal officials have deemed nuclear energy part of the solution. They are now scrambling to save existing plants that can no longer compete economically in a market flooded with cheap natural gas.

“We’re supposed to be adding zero-carbon sources, not subtracting,” Ernest Moniz, the energy secretary, said recently at a symposium that the department convened to explore ways to improve the industry’s prospects.

As a result, there are efforts across the country to bail out nuclear plants at risk of closing, with important test cases in Illinois, Ohio and New York, as well as proposed legislation in Congress.