Nuclear power dilemma

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.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Nuclear power dilemma. https://www.ucs.org/resources/nuclear-power-dilemma

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Nuclear power dilemma. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/resources/nuclear-power-dilemma.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Nuclear power dilemma |date=9 October 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/nuclear-power-dilemma |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018nuclear, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Nuclear power dilemma}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/nuclear-power-dilemma}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }