By John Stang
Power companies Entergy and NextEra Energy have left the Nuclear Energy Institute, the lobbying arm of the nuclear power industry, for reasons not made clear this week.
Entergy and NEI cited business-related causes for the departures, but declined to elaborate.
“While we will no longer be a member of NEI, we will continue to engage actively and cooperatively with the industry in both the operations and public policy arenas. We strongly believe that nuclear power remains an important part of our company’s and country’s diverse resource mix,” Entergy said in a written statement.
Corporate spokeswoman Emily Bealke Parenteau added only that Entergy would continue to use internal lobbyists and other outside lobbying ventures. She declined to specify which external lobby operations Entergy will retain or how much the New Orleans-based company paid for its NEI membership.
NextEra did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
In a written statement, NEI President Maria Korsnick said: “Entergy and NextEra have made the business decisions not to renew their membership with NEI. We are disappointed by the decision, but remain committed to our role as the voice of the nuclear industry representing the vast majority of the U.S. nuclear power generators on regulatory and policy issues. The work of NEI has never been more critical. The number of plants at risk of premature retirement jeopardizes the country’s largest source of carbon-free energy.”
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission listed 19 power reactors that were closed or in active decommissioning as of 2016, including Entergy’s Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.
Washington, D.C.-based NEI is a nuclear industry trade association that lobbies on legislative and regulatory matters, and provides forums for technical and business issues, among other activities. Its 300 members in 17 nations include representatives of the commercial nuclear power and nuclear medicine industries, among others, plus manufacturers of nuclear fuels and radioactive materials. Along with promoting nuclear power, it weighs in on nuclear waste issues and has pressed for licensing and construction of a permanent repository for spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste under Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
Twenty-two American nuclear utilities belonged to NEI prior to the departures of Entergy and NextEra.
“In the years ahead, NEI will continue to play a unique role not only for the expansion of emissions-free electricity, but also for broader societal benefits, from industrial processing to disaster relief to human development,” NEI board Chairman Don Brandt said in a statement.
Politico reported this week that Brandt stated in an email to an unidentified person that “The fracturing of NEI’s membership at this critical time is unfortunate .… Entergy and NextEra’s decisions will impact us all.” The report added that the influence of fellow utility Exelon on NEI will increase with the departure of Entergy and NextEra. Exelon operates more nuclear power reactors – 17 — than any other corporation in the United States.
Brandt’s email mentioned that the CEOs of Exelon and two other nuclear power operators tried to convince Entergy and NextEra to remain with NEI, without success, Politico reported. The report could not be independently corroborated.
The Nuclear Energy Institute declined to answer questions regarding the amount of fees that Entergy and NextEra paid to the organization and the effects of the loss of the revenue on its budget.
Entergy has 10 reactors, including the retired single-reactor Vermont Yankee plant. The company is waiting on state and federal regulatory approval to sell Vermont Yankee, which closed in December 2014, to NorthStar Group Services for decommissioning. The company plans in coming years to close sites in Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York state, while keeping facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas in operation.
NextEra has five operational reactors in Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire.
