{"query_echo":{"q":"","filters":{"analysis_type":["economic viability assessment"]},"warnings":[{"code":"facet_value_not_in_vocabulary","message":"Value 'economic viability assessment' for facet 'analysis_type' is not in the controlled vocabulary."}]},"total":{"value":2,"relation":"eq"},"page":1,"page_size":20,"self":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/api/v1/search?analysis_type=economic+viability+assessment","stability":"beta","ai_marking":{"digital_source_type":{"uri":"http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia","name":"Created using Generative AI"},"notice":"Summary and key insights are generated using artificial intelligence."},"results":[{"id":"ucs-000173","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/ucs-000173","title":"Nuclear power dilemma","publisher":{"name":"Union of Concerned Scientists","organization":"union-of-concerned-scientists"},"document_type":"executive summary","language":"en","date_published":"2018-10-09","source_url":"https://www.ucs.org/resources/nuclear-power-dilemma","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The document analyzes the economic pressures facing the US nuclear fleet, finding that over one-third of plants are unprofitable or scheduled to close. It warns that without carbon-reduction policies, these closures could increase power sector emissions by 4 to 6 percent as natural gas and coal fill the void. The report advocates for a national carbon price or a low-carbon electricity standard to maintain low-carbon generation and triple renewable energy by 2035, noting that the public health and economic benefits of such policies would outweigh the costs.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000173#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Approximately 35 percent of US nuclear power plants, which account for 22 percent of the nation's nuclear capacity, are either scheduled for retirement or at risk of closing early. Plants operated by merchant generators in competitive wholesale markets are more susceptible to closure than those run by regulated utilities.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000173#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The early closure of unprofitable and marginal nuclear plants could lead to a 4 to 6 percent increase in emissions from the US power sector if the resulting energy gap is filled by coal and natural gas.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000173#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Implementing carbon-reduction policies, such as a national carbon price or a low-carbon electricity standard (LCES), would prevent early nuclear closures and allow renewable energy generation—specifically wind and solar—to more than triple by 2035. These policies are estimated to cost the average US household between $0.74 and $1.03 per month.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000173#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The economic and public health benefits of carbon-reduction policies are double their costs. Between 2018 and 2035, the net benefits are projected to exceed $230 billion under a carbon price and $60 billion under an LCES.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000173#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"An evaluation of US nuclear reactors since 2000 using Nuclear Regulatory Commission data shows that reactors held the top safety rating 80 percent of the time, with performance shortcomings typically remedied within one year.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000173#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["nuclear power","carbon price","natural gas","coal","wind power","solar energy","greenhouse gas emissions","renewable energy"],"geography_discussed":[],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["economic viability assessment","emissions impact analysis","policy evaluation"]},{"id":"ucs-000998","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/ucs-000998","title":"Ripe for Retirement","publisher":{"name":"Union of Concerned Scientists","organization":"union-of-concerned-scientists"},"document_type":"executive summary","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Ripe-for-Retirement-Executive-Summary.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The Union of Concerned Scientists identifies a range of 153 to 353 coal-fired generating units in the U.S. that are economically uncompetitive and should be retired. These units, totaling up to 59 GW of capacity, are typically older, underutilized, and lack modern pollution controls. The report argues that retiring these units, alongside 288 already scheduled for closure, would not jeopardize grid reliability and could reduce annual CO2 emissions by 245 to 410 million tons if replaced by natural gas, renewables, or energy efficiency.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000998#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The analysis identifies between 153 and 353 coal-fired electric utility generating units as 'ripe for retirement' because they are economically uncompetitive compared to cleaner alternatives. These units represent 16.4 to 59.0 GW of generation capacity and accounted for 1.7 to 6.3 percent of total U.S. electricity used in 2009.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000998#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The identified 'ripe-for-retirement' units are characterized as being older, less utilized, and more polluting than the general U.S. coal fleet. They average 45 years in age and operate at an average capacity factor of 47 percent, compared to 64 percent for the total U.S. coal fleet. Additionally, over 70 percent of these units lack at least three of the four major pollution control technologies for mercury, soot, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen oxides.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000998#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Retiring the identified units in addition to the 288 units already scheduled for closure (41.2 GW) would result in a combined 100.2 GW of potential retirements. This transition could reduce annual CO2 emissions by 245 million tons if replaced by natural gas, or up to 410 million tons if replaced by zero-emissions sources and energy efficiency, representing 9.8 to 16.4 percent of 2010 U.S. power sector emissions.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000998#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The retirement of these coal units is deemed feasible without risking national electricity system reliability. The U.S. was projected to have 145 GW of excess capacity by 2014, and existing underutilized natural gas capacity, combined with projected gains from state renewable electricity and energy efficiency standards by 2020, could replace the lost generation.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000998#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Geographically, the most vulnerable coal generators are concentrated in the eastern U.S., specifically the Southeast and Midwest. Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, and Michigan are the top five states for ripe-for-retirement generators. The largest owners of these units include Southern Company, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Duke Energy, American Electric Power Company, and First Energy.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000998#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Economic variables such as natural gas prices and carbon pricing significantly impact the number of units deemed uncompetitive. Low natural gas prices and the implementation of a $15 per ton price on CO2 emissions have the most dramatic effect on expanding the pool of coal generators ripe for retirement.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000998#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["coal-fired power station","renewable energy","energy efficiency","carbon dioxide emissions","climate finance","wind power","solar energy","carbon price","methane leak","hydraulic fracturing"],"geography_discussed":["Georgia","Alabama","Tennessee","Florida","Michigan","Ohio"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["economic viability assessment","emissions projection"]}]}