Chu: Nuclear must be part of energy mix
WASHINGTON — While speaking on the future of coal-based energy projects Wednesday, Energy Secretary Steven Chu also tried to assure skeptical senators that the administration of President Barack Obama supports continued development of nuclear energy.
“Nuclear is going to be part of our energy future. It has to be,” Chu told members of the Senate Budget Committee.
Causing concern for the senators was the administrations plan to pull the plug on a proposed nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain.
Chu said he hoped to have a recommendation from a special panel on alternatives to Yucca Mountain and long-term nuclear waste disposal before the end of the year.
Chu said the administration was determined to move in a new direction on how to deal with the thousands of tons of waste in the form of used reactor fuel now being kept at power plants. He said the material could be kept safely “for decades” at reactor sites.
Chu said he was ready to act on loan guarantees for a group of new reactors and plans on “moving very aggressively to getting the money out the door.” Congress authorized $18.5 billion in loan guarantees in 2005 for new reactors, but none of the applications has been approved.
