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US Congress Passes Bill To Help Advanced Nuclear Power (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Last week, the House passed a bipartisan bill that originated in the Senate called the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (S. 97), which will allow the private sector to partner with U.S. National Laboratories to vet advanced nuclear technologies. The bill also directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to lay the ground work for establishing "a versatile, reactor-based fast neutron source." The Senate also introduced a second bill called the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (S. 3422) last Thursday, which would direct the DOE to actually establish that fast neutron reactor. That bill also directs the DOE to "make available high-assay, low-enriched uranium" for research purposes. The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act has not yet made it past a Senate vote. The report also mentions a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling to keep older reactors online. "The court said that subsidies for nuclear energy proposed by Illinois don't cause any interference with federal control over interstate power markets, which is prohibited," reports Ars.
"In 2017 the state of Illinois agreed to offer a Zero Emissions Credit that included nuclear energy (PDF). The credit was opposed by fossil fuel generators and by the Electric Power Supply Association, who sued the director of the Illinois Power Agency. But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Justice filed a joint brief in the case several months ago, saying those federal agencies had no problem with Illinois' credit system, according to Utility Dive."
"In 2017 the state of Illinois agreed to offer a Zero Emissions Credit that included nuclear energy (PDF). The credit was opposed by fossil fuel generators and by the Electric Power Supply Association, who sued the director of the Illinois Power Agency. But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Justice filed a joint brief in the case several months ago, saying those federal agencies had no problem with Illinois' credit system, according to Utility Dive."
Nuclear is soo expensive due to the greenies throwing up ridiculous rules and regulations that paradoxically make nuclear energy less safe. Reactors use 1950s technology because the compasionate greens make it so hard to innovate. You can design reactors to be much much safer than they are now, but we dont ironically due to all the safety rules. If Solar and wind had to deal with the same requirments as nuclear it would cost 100 usd per KW h. Society is supposed to advance, but we are regressing. Rather than using more energy dense sources of power we are going back to using windmills like they did in the 1600s.
If Trump were serious about promoting nuclear, he would open Yucca Mountain.
He is president, not dictator. YM is blocked by congress. Harry Reid is gone, so there is hope, but Donald can't do anything until congress acts.
Explain that a fuel recycling facility fed from this storage buffer would provide high-quality jobs for Nevadans.
That is logical, but nuclear policy isn't about logic.
Anyway, continuing to store waste on-site is good enough for several more decades. YM is not a critical path problem.
With gargantuan subsidies from taxpayers to construct, run, insure and then decommission that just aren't counted by nuke fans. Same as every other nuclear power plant in existence.