English (United States)
Have you started planning your summer vacation yet? Considering the many decisions to be made, it’s never too early to coordinate details. For example, how will you get there? Where will you stay? What will you do? Many of these decisions must balance factors like budget, schedules and shared interests.
NPPD has its own road trip (of sorts) planned as we update our Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). We’re doing this by evaluating which future generation resources are necessary to arrive at our destination of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 without compromising the very tenants of public power. It is a balancing act that includes off-ramps if necessary to ensure net-zero is achieved while consistently delivering affordable, reliable, and resilient electricity to customers.
Our draft IRP considers several possible routes that could lead to our destination. This includes new renewable energy resources, and carbon capture and storage at our coal facilities. It also includes carbon-free nuclear energy which is highly reliable and available 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year, even when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.
The continued inclusion of nuclear power in our generation mix – both existing facilities like Cooper Nuclear Station and advanced nuclear options like small modular nuclear reactors – is helped by the intersection of three important factors along our journey. This intersection includes NPPD’s more than 60 years of expertise in the nuclear industry, the trust of our customer communities in supporting nuclear power, and the support of the Nebraska legislature.
In many ways, Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) is the bridge to future advanced nuclear opportunities in Nebraska.
NPPD is one of 21 nuclear operating utilities in the country. Our staff has the skills, training and proven ability to operate with a high level of excellence and safety. This is recognized not just by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, under whom we hold our license, and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, but also local residents near Cooper Nuclear Station who trust our experience and commitment to keep them safe.
This dedication to safety, not just by NPPD but by all other nuclear operators in the nation, has been proven through the nuclear industry’s safety record, which is higher than any other industry.
It’s what makes extending the operating license at Cooper Nuclear Station for another 20 years from 2034 to 2054 a particular point of interest within our IRP. Cooper Nuclear Station is an economical, clean, and safe generation source for Nebraskans and NPPD, whose generation mix used to serve our customers is currently more than 56% carbon-free.
Though advanced nuclear technology still needs to be proven economically, something I suspect will occur within the next 10 to 15 years, it promises substantial benefits. These include enhanced safety features, improved performance and flexibility ramping up and down, faster construction, various standard sizes and designs, and economic opportunity in the form of well-paying, technical careers. Additionally, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act offer unique funding opportunities that could be used to leverage the value this new source could bring.
Last year, Legislative Bill 1014 was passed to provide $1 million in funding to study preliminary sites in Nebraska for small modular nuclear reactors. This study is being conducted this year. (Learn more about the siting study here.) Leveraging NPPD’s nuclear experience and investments in the siting process will better position Nebraska as an innovative energy leader as we work to identify suitable sites for the deployment of small modular reactor(s) and potentially other advanced nuclear technologies. On a larger scale, this investment in the future will help assure the nation’s energy security by preserving nuclear power as a carbon free option in the generation resource mix for years to come.
If you’d like to learn more about advanced nuclear, be sure to sign up to attend the Second Nebraska Advanced Nuclear Forum in Lincoln May 23 and 24.
