WASHINGTON — The Secretary of Energy told attendees at an international nuclear power conference this week that the U.S. aims to keep nuclear at the center of its energy mixture in the long term.
“[W]e are committed to maintaining and modernizing our existing fleet, and we are committed to developing a secure and diverse supply chain for nuclear fuel,” energy secretary Jennifer Granholm said during remarks at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual Ministerial Conference, held this year in Washington.
“The United States believes that nuclear must be a part of our long term energy mix,” Granholm said.
As Granholm spoke, DOE was in the process of reviewing applications for the first funding round of its civil nuclear credits program, a roughly $6 billion bailout scheme targeting nuclear power plants slated for closure. DOE Sep. 30 announced its second $1.2 billion payout under the civil nuclear credits program.
Nuclear plant operators are also eligible for a production tax credit, signed into law by the White House in August as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
During her Wednesday speech, Granholm also touted the U.S.’s investment in advanced nuclear technologies, which she said would offer “great benefits and wider opportunities for deployment both within and beyond our borders.”
As global nuclear energy leaders gathered in Washington this week, the U.S. remains without a storage solution for the over 80,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel currently stranded at reactor sites nationwide. DOE, along with two private companies, are exploring options for developing interim storage facilities for the country’s spent fuel inventory.
