The Breakthrough: EPA Climate Rule Not Designed to Keep Nuclear Plants Open
The recently released final rule of the EPA Clean Power Plan projects to reduce US power sector carbon emissions by 32 percent under 2005 levels by 2030. That’s awesome. But by allowing existing nuclear capacity to close and be replaced by fossil fuels, the CPP jeopardizes almost one-half of EPA’s emissions reduction goals from 2013 to 2030.
The United States has already reduced emissions under 2005 levels by about 15 percent, according to the Energy Information Administration. Allowing existing nuclear to close would bring the further 17 percent decline in emissions below 2013 levels down to about a 10 percent decline.
How can this be the case? Let us explain.
The Clean Power Plan provides incentives for states to reduce power plant emissions by installing new zero-carbon energy (nuclear and renewables), by improving fossil-fired power plant efficiency, and by switching from coal to natural gas. What the CPP doesn’t do is provide incentives for states to extend the licenses of existing nuclear power plants, which provide over two-thirds of America’s zero-carbon electricity generation.
The reasons for this are less than clear. In their draft in June 2014, the EPA proposed that preservation of existing nuclear capacity of would be considered. But they changed their mind in the final rule, writing, “On further consideration, we believe it is inappropriate to base the BSER [best system of emission reduction] on elements that will not reduce CO2 emissions from affected [fossil plants] below current levels. Existing nuclear generation helps make existing CO2 emissions lower than they would otherwise be, but will not further lower CO2 emissions below current levels” (EPA CPP, p. 324).
