I suspect that this is what will be happening all over the country as the Federal dollars roll in.
Anyone who promotes an “all of the above” energy strategy as Gov. Youngkin has done clearly does not understand that they are squandering tax payer dollars. To fight climate change we must use the cheapest, greenest and fastest generation. Of course, nowhere in this article do you see climate change mentioned. It is all about jobs and economic development.
This larticle is written as though SMR’s are already built and successfully operating. This is not true anywhere in the world. So, how can you speak about how reliable they are, how long it will take to build them or anything else in the real world?
The false equivalency of comparing land area between solar and nuclear is used here to great effect. The beauty of solar is its distributed generation on rooftops and other unused spaces that bring down the peak energy needs “before the meter.” A reduction in usage that is rarely taken into account.You will also note that there is no mention of conservation or efficiency.
What can we do? Continue on as we have and double down on support for national organizations like NIRS, NEIS and Beyond Nuclear and front line groups like BXE, Sunrise, the Hip Hop Cacus, Moms out Front and other groups that continue the fight against fossil fuel, pipeline infrastructure and to change our energy regulations. Locally we must continue to write letters, speak out and speak to decision makers. They are supposed to represent us too.
We have been through a so called “Nuclear Renaissance” before. That one fell flat and I am convinced that this one will too. It is only a question of how long it takes and how much money will be wasted. We keep on keeping on…
In Solidarity,
Marilyn Elie
Indian Point Safe Energy
“According to the updated Integrated Resource Plan, Dominion anticipates SMRs “could be a feasible supply-side resource as soon as the early 2030s,” and the company has thus included SMRs as a “supply-side option starting in December 2032” in all alternative plans. The plan also states that Dominion assumes that one 285-megawatts SMR facility could be built per year. “For some light-water SMR designs that utilize current nuclear fuel technologies with an available supply chain, the commercial availability may be even sooner.
