Nuclear power still a key player

By Carolyn D. Heising

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On May 26, 1958, in western Pennsylvania, the first nuclear power plant began generating electricity in the United States, ushering in a new era that would fuel economic growth and eventually transform the industrial world.

Yet today, even as nuclear power moves to the fore in helping to shape a lower carbon world, its position in the global economy is

being questioned and challenged as never before.

Why this debate about the single-most important source of emission-free energy - and a very reliable one - that accounts for about 20 percent of U.S. electricity in the United States and 15 percent globally?

Safety, waste disposal, security and the economic cost of building new nuclear plants are traditional concerns. The Fukushima accident in Japan has raised anxieties about the safety of nuclear power plants.

But there are those who stereotype and disparage the U.S. nuclear industry without regard for facts. No member of the public has ever died or been injured as a result of a nuclear power accident at the 104 U.S. nuclear plants.

Two new factors are fueling the debate. One is the way in which nuclear power is regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. For example, anti-nuclear groups maintain that the NRC routinely approves reactor license renewals and power “updates” allowing nuclear plants to produce as much as 15 percent more electricity. To date, the licenses of about two-thirds of U.S. nuclear plants, including Iowa's Duane Arnold in Palo, have been renewed for another 20 years and the NRC has approved a total of about 6,000 megawatts in power updates at U.S. reactors since 1977.

But the NRC conducts a careful study of safety-related systems at each nuclear plant - some take two or three years - before reaching a decision.

The NRC, moreover, is taking the Fukushima accident seriously. Given a loss of power that led to multiple problems at the Fukushima reactors, the NRC has directed operators of U.S. nuclear plants to make sure backup power systems are in secure locations and in working order.

Once the NRC's study of the events at Fukushima is completed, it's possible that some changes will be made in the design and operation of nuclear plants.

And the NRC may conclude that moving spent nuclear fuel to concrete-and-steel dry casks ought to be done as soon as possible. Revealingly, all of the dry casks at the Fukushima plant withstood the earthquake and tsunami with no problems.

The other new factor is climate change. Controls on carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are likely in the years ahead. A carbon tax or some type of cap-and-trade system to curb carbon emissions would make emission-free nuclear power more economically competitive.

Carbon controls would also help energy efficiency and grow renewable-energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal heat. But right now, just 3 percent of the country's electricity comes from solar and wind. And neither is reliable enough for base-load power generation.

Every source has its drawbacks. But a number of independent organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), all agree that nuclear power must be aggressively expanded over the next few decades.

Now is the time to move forward on financing for new nuclear power plants in Iowa and elsewhere in the country.

Nearly 300 of our nation's generating capacity of 1,000 gigawatts come from plants 30 to 40 years old. Most have few or no environmental controls. The oldest capacity is oil, natural gas and coal plants, and many need to be replaced.

The United States must add 220 gigawatts of new electric capacity by 2035 to meet expected demand. In other words, nuclear power must play a key role in supplying low-cost and emission-free electricity as part of a balanced mix of clean energy sources in the 21st century.

Carolyn D. Heising, Professor of Industrial, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Iowa State University, is an expert in nuclear plant safety. Comments: cheising@iastate.edu