Since late 2012, four power
companies have announced the retirement of five nuclear reactors in the
United States. Coming amidst increasing debate over nuclear power in
countries such as Japan and Germany, these announcements, the first
since 1998, have led some Wall Street analysts and academics to forecast
a wave of U.S. reactor retirements in the coming years. If these
predictions are correct, the result could have serious climate change
implications. Nuclear power supplies 19 percent of total U.S.
electricity production with essentially zero greenhouse gas emissions.
As renewables such as wind and solar do not provide reliable baseload
power, any additional loss of nuclear generating capacity would result
in increased carbon dioxide emissions, making it more difficult for the
United States to achieve both its 17 percent emissions reduction pledge
by 2020, and greater reductions in the future. Preserving the existing
U.S. nuclear reactor fleet for as long as possible is a critical element
in the transition to a low-carbon future.
http://www.c2es.org/publications/climate-solutions-role-nuclear-power
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