Nuclear power was once the shining star of our renewable energy future. That is until a series of accidents swayed the public’s opinion away from it.
However, what we’ve seen in recent years is a shift back to more favorable opinions from the public due to its zero-emissions power generation. It’s a long and costly process to build nuclear plants from scratch; therefore, organizations are looking towards reopening decommissioned nuclear plants. This article discusses a brief history of nuclear power in the United States, its current state and its limitations, the steps that go into reopening a plant, and, lastly, the benefits of reopening decommissioned nuclear power plants.
A Brief History of Nuclear Power in the United States
In the post-World War II era, the Atomic Energy Commission was created to explore peaceful opportunities for the same nuclear materials the U.S. used inside of their bombs in Japan. Medical scientists were interested in the effect of radiation upon the fast-growing cells of cancer, and materials were given to them, while the military services led research into other peaceful uses. The U.S. Navy led the way with ventures in nuclear electricity generation soon after the war.
From the successful naval reactor program, plans were soon developed for the use of reactors to generate steam to drive turbines turning generators. In April 1957, the SM-1 Nuclear Reactor in Fort Belvoir, Virginia was the first atomic power generator to go online and produce electrical energy to the U.S. power grid.
Our Current State of Nuclear Power in 2024
Nuclear power is among the most tightly regulated industries in the United States. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) closely supervises the development of new reactor designs, construction, decades of operation, and the complex decommissioning process.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Association, as of April 30, 2024, there were 54 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 94 nuclear power reactors in 28 states. We as a nation still rely heavily on the power generation from these facilities, and in the last 5-10 years there has been a positive shift in the public perception of nuclear power potential. Support for low-carbon electricity sources like nuclear power has recently expanded and, in turn, helped make it possible to extend the life of older plants across the US. As of last year, a majority of Americans (56%) support more nuclear power in the country, up from 43% in 2016, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center.
Nuclear reactors collectively generated 19% of all U.S. electricity in 2023. 60% of electricity generation was from fossil fuels—coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases, and about 21% was from renewable energy sources, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. By these figures, nuclear power is still a major energy provider in the U.S.
What Does It Take to Open an Nuclear Power Generation Facility?
The NRC issues license applications for new nuclear reactors. The review process for these applications can take up to five years to complete. Under current licensing regulations, a company that seeks to build a new reactor can use reactor designs that the NRC has approved. NRC's design certification is independent of their approval of applications to construct or operate new nuclear power plants. When the applicant uses an NRC-certified reactor design, that means that all safety issues related to the design have been resolved, and the focus of the NRC's review is the quality of construction.
Construction of a nuclear power plant may take five years or more. Some quick math will tell you that this process, at best, will take at least 10 years. But we all know that construction timelines never work out that way. They typically become bogged down with delays and unforeseen extra costs. On top of that, nuclear energy still faces opposition from environmental justice advocates who are concerned about the risks that come with mining uranium and storing nuclear waste. It’s clear why potential applicants for these facilities are looking for alternative methods than simply building anew.
Exploring Alternatives to Building New Nuclear Plants
In 2019, a private citizen anticipating the Indian Point Energy Center (I.P.E.C.) closure in Buchanan, NY, petitioned the NRC to develop rulemaking on how such a retired plant might be brought back into service. The NRC denied the petition, noting that “the nuclear industry has not expressed a strong interest in returning retired plants to operational status and proceeding with rulemaking to develop a new regulatory framework that may not be used is not a prudent use of resources.”
"There’s no playbook for the NRC or a utility to follow on this task — it’s never been done before in the U.S. and hardly been done anywhere else, for that matter. Palisades would be just the second or third reactor to be restarted ever." According to Mycle Schneider, in an interview last December with Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Investigating the Possibilities of Reviving Decommissioned Nuclear Power Plants
There has been a flurry of interest in reviving decommissioned nuclear power sites, including the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (shuttered in 2019) in Middletown, Pennsylvania and the Palisades Nuclear Plant (shuttered in 2022) in Covert, Michigan. In 2023, California announced it would delay the retirement of its one remaining nuclear power plant until 2030. And just this summer, construction began on a new plant in Wyoming. This plant is set to house an advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor, pending approval from the NRC.
The Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office (LPO) in March of 2024 issued a $1.52 billion conditional loan to Holtec International to reopen Palisades, which could become the first nuclear plant in the country to restart after being shuttered. However, Holtec still needs permits from the NRC. "Holtec must ensure the generators will meet NRC requirements if the agency authorizes returning Palisades to operational status," an NRC spokesperson said.
Steps to Open a Decommissioned Nuclear Power Plant
Reopening isn’t as simple as flipping a switch—there are technical, administrative, and regulatory hurdles. Once a nuclear power plant shuts down, it can quickly become difficult to start it back up. Let’s look at the reopening process from a high level.
- Stay Ready
- When a plant ceases operation, it immediately begins to degrade and becomes increasingly more costly to restart by each passing day.
- Ensuring that a plant is maintained in a condition that allows for a cost-effective restart is essential.
- Line Up Money, Permission, and Essential Operating Hardware/Software
- Determine the need for more energy production in a particular geographic location
- File an application for state funding
- File an application for federal Civil Nuclear Credit funding or through the U.S. Department of Energy loan office
- The NRC creates a panel to oversee reopening efforts
- Companies like Holtec International need to submit detailed plans to the NRC with information about how they plan to reopen and operate the plant safely
- Secure financial commitment from the state
- Procure a power purchasing agreement
- Make capital improvements to the facility
- Upgrade the switchyard
- Replace or refurbish the turbine(s)
- Replace or refurbish the steam generator(s)
- Replace or refurbish the main power transformer
- Replace or refurbish the cooling & control systems
- Obtain a fuel supply
- Partner with a licensed operator for the restart
- Rehire qualified and trained staff and maintenance
- Profit
- Ensure the plant can operate profitably once it is back online
Benefits of a Nuclear Power Plant Restart
It’s clear that there are many factors involved in a reopening but what are some of the benefits?
- Economic Engine: Improves commerce and financial support to the region.
- Employment Opportunities: Offers jobs for the region’s skilled craftspeople and professionals. Nuclear plants provide more jobs per unit of energy generated than any other power source and pay 30 percent higher salaries than the local average.
- Green Power: Nuclear power is green power, with no emissions, no pollutants, and no greenhouse gases.
- Clean Energy Reliability: Provides reliable energy 24/7/365, even when electricity demand is at its highest.
Our current political, economic, and environmental climates have positioned nuclear power generating facilities at the forefront of a clean energy future. It is in our best interest to continue to invest in nuclear technologies and we at Proconex are here to assist in this industry. We currently help maintain numerous nuclear power generating facilities in the Mid-Atlantic region and have expert knowledge of how important these plants are for the health and growth of the USA.