US Legislators Told 'Nuclear Power Is Needed In Energy Mix'
Written by NucNet
Thursday, 13 March 2008
13 Mar (NucNet): The development of new nuclear power plants over the
next decade will help the US meet its growing demand for electricity
with a reliable, carbon-free source of energy, legislators have been
told.
Alex Flint, the Nuclear Energy Institute's (NEI) senior vice-president of governmental affairs, told the House of Representatives' select committee on energy independence and global warming yesterday: "It is extraordinarily challenging to imagine credible scenarios by which electricity production can double in the coming decades while significantly reducing the emission of greenhouse gases from electricity generation.
"To do so will take the successful implementation of a wide range of solutions including nuclear power," Mr Flint said. "Our nuclear plants are not only environmentally sound by avoiding the emission of 681 million metric tonnes of CO2 each year, they are also extraordinarily safe.
"In 2006, our lost-time accident rate was 0.12 accidents per 200,000 worker hours. That is significantly safer than the 3.5 accidents per 200,000 worker hours in the manufacturing sector."
Earlier this year, the NEI said provisional estimates for 2007 showed that US nuclear power plants posted all-time record highs in electricity production and efficiency. The US units generated about 807 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity last year, according to estimates, exceeding by more than two per cent the previous record-high of 788.5 TWh of electricity set in 2004.
- Compiled by John Shepherd
Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
New Nuclear "Is Key" To Reducing US Carbon Emissions (World Nuclear Review No. 7, 15 February 2008)
'Careful Planning' Driving New Nuclear Projects In US, Analysts Told (World Nuclear Review No. 8, 22 February 2008)
