H.R.5706 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): U.S. Capitol Power Plant Retrofit Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

H.R.5706 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): U.S. Capitol Power Plant Retrofit Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress A Nuclear-powered Congress? A few blocks south of the U.S. Capitol is the Capitol Power Plant, built to supply steam and electricity to the Capitol and the congressional office buildings. But it is so old (opened in 1910) that the electric system was initially 25 cycles, not the 60 cycles in common use in North America. The plant supplies most of the electricity for the legislative campus, along with hot a water for sinks and chilled water for air conditioning. It was built to run on coal, and coal-state Senators initially opposed efforts to convert it to natural gas. But Senator Harry Reid and Representative Nancy Pelosi, when they led Democratic majorities in the Senate and House, prevailed, arguing that Congress should set an example in fighting climate change, and today it runs primarily on natural gas. Now, Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican and a staunch supporter of nuclear energy has introduced a bill to require the Architect of the Capitol to study incorporating an advanced nuclear reactor into the system. The gas plant now produces 7.5 megawatts, which means a micro-reactor. The site seems well suited for such a plant because it could use both electricity and the thermal energy left over when the steam exits the turbine that turns a generator; the result would be very high efficiency. But the bill’s prospects are unclear; Congress has a lot of other things on its plate.