Testimony Regarding New Jerseys Nuclear Power Plants

The testimony asserts that New Jersey's nuclear plants are critical for climate protection, as they provide roughly half of the state's electricity from a carbon-free source. The author argues that premature retirement of these plants would lead to a substantial increase in carbon dioxide emissions, as replacing their output with wind and solar would require a massive, decades-long buildout. Specifically, replacing the Hope Creek and Salem plants would require 12 of the world's largest offshore windfarms or a 15-fold increase in solar output. The document notes that retiring these plants could increase regional emissions by approximately 11 million tons annually, hindering the state's ability to meet Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) targets. While acknowledging that subsidies may be necessary, the author points to New York and Illinois as examples where nuclear subsidies were lower than those for wind and solar.

• Nuclear power currently provides approximately 50% of New Jersey's electricity, making the state one of the top three in zero-carbon electricity share among states without large hydroelectric dams.
• Replacing the electricity generated by the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants with other carbon-free sources would require an immense scale-up of renewables: either 12 of the world's largest offshore windfarms, 10 copies of California's largest onshore wind farm, or increasing solar output by 15 times current levels.
• The retirement of the Salem and Hope Creek plants, even if replaced entirely by gas-fired energy rather than coal, would increase regional emissions by about 11 million tons annually, complicating New Jersey's goal of joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
• Recent nuclear power subsidies in Illinois and New York have been approximately $15/MWH, a figure the author states is substantially lower than current state and federal subsidies for solar and wind power.

APA

Cohen, A. (2017). Testimony Regarding New Jerseys Nuclear Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/21092920/Cohen-testimony-NJ-Nuclear.pdf

Chicago

Cohen, Armond. Testimony Regarding New Jerseys Nuclear Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force, 2017. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/21092920/Cohen-testimony-NJ-Nuclear.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cohen |first1=Armond |title=Testimony Regarding New Jerseys Nuclear Power Plants |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=4 December 2017 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/21092920/Cohen-testimony-NJ-Nuclear.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cohen2017testimony, author = {Cohen, Armond}, title = {{Testimony Regarding New Jerseys Nuclear Power Plants}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/21092920/Cohen-testimony-NJ-Nuclear.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }