Most U.S. States See Nuclear Power As Part Of Green Transition

The majority of U.S. states and the District of Columbia see a future for nuclear power in their respective energy policies for a transition away from fossil fuels, a survey by the Associated Press showed.

Two-thirds of all states and the District of Columbia say that in one form or another, nuclear power generation will be needed in the United States to meet the goals of a carbon-free grid by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050, the survey found.

However, the other one-third of U.S. states say their green energy plans do not include relying on nuclear power.

The U.S. Administration wants to reach the zero-carbon electricity goal and "that means nuclear, that means hydropower, that means geothermal, that means obviously wind on and offshore, that means solar," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told the Associated Press.

The Administration has included nuclear power in provisions for planned production tax credits in the Bill Back Better bill, which is stalled in the Senate.

"The hardworking men and women at our nation's nuclear power plants are on the front lines in the fight against the climate crisis, keeping the lights on without any carbon or air pollution and supporting our economy with 24/7 electricity," Secretary Granholm said in December after touring Exelon's Braidwood Generating Station in Will County in Illinois.

"The Build Back Better bill will help keep our existing nuclear fleet running while we invest in new nuclear technology," Granholm added.

West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is seeking tax credits for nuclear power plants for 10 years instead of the six years as put in President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill, which Manchin himself stalled late last year with his opposition to many of its provisions.

Senator Manchin supports at least one climate policy in the bill—tax credits to nuclear power plants as part of the U.S. Administration's ambition to make the American power grid carbon-free by 2035. However, Manchin wants the tax credit for nuclear plants to last for 10 years, four years longer than in the draft, Bloomberg reported last week, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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