CASEnergy Applauds the Obama Administration’s Support for Nuclear Expansion
President Obama announced today $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees to build two new reactors at a nuclear power plant in Georgia, signaling the first wave of new nuclear plants in the U.S. in more than three decades. “This is only the beginning,” he said. “My budget proposes tripling the loan guarantees we provide to help finance safe, clean nuclear facilities – and we’ll continue to provide financing for clean-energy projects here in Maryland and across America.” Just weeks following his State of the Union address in which he called for a new generation of nuclear power plants, this announcement is yet another sign that nuclear energy will be a vital component of a comprehensive energy and climate bill.
CASEnergy Co-Chairs Christine Todd Whitman and Patrick Moore, in a joint statement said:
“This is exciting news. President Obama’s commitment to building a new generation of nuclear reactors, as part of a new clean energy policy, demonstrates that America is serious about reducing fossil fuel emissions as a hedge against the negative effects of climate change while meeting growing energy demands. With the demand for electricity projected to rise 23% by 2030, the United States is increasingly looking toward nuclear energy as a clean and safe option, as the nation’s largest source of electricity that does not produce greenhouse gases.”
America’s 104 reactors already account for nearly 75 percent of all carbon-free electricity produced today. Nuclear energy has a scientifically proven ability to provide large quantities of reliable, affordable energy with virtually zero carbon emissions.
President Obama made his announcement at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) training center in Lanham, Maryland. IBEW is a member of CASEnergy and many in this labor union are employed by the nuclear industry. The president’s choice of venue further underscored a major benefit of investing in new nuclear energy – an industry jumpstart will create thousands of high paying American jobs.
Part of the White House push for new clean energy jobs, this loan guarantee will help Southern Company build two new reactors at an existing plant in Burke County, Georgia, creating thousands of temporary jobs, 800 permanent jobs, and provide electricity to 1.4 million people.
Increasing America’s nuclear capability will mean tens of thousands of additional jobs for the country’s struggling economy. In the past three years, nuclear plant investment in the U.S. has already created an estimated 15,000 new jobs. Looking forward, as many as 2,400 workers will be needed at a single site during peak periods of new nuclear plant construction. Once completed, 400 to 700 permanent employees will be needed to run each reactor.