For more than a decade, nuclear operators have faced an uphill battle to compete with low natural gas prices and increasing renewable generation. Plants have been focused on reducing operating expenses to manage costs and compete in bid-based and regulated markets. As we shared in the article, “While You Were Sleeping: The Unnoticed Loss of Carbon-Free Generation in the United States,” the early retirement of at-risk nuclear plants may give back gains in carbon-free generation from new wind and solar. There is increasing urgency for nuclear plants to increase profitability and avoid premature decommissioning.

Key Observations

President Joe Biden is expected to pursue an “all-of-government” approach to climate change. The incoming administration is expected to move as swiftly as possible on an agenda that modifies or reverses the policies of the Trump administration. Many of these changes were signaled in the Biden campaign’s Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force Recommendations, released last August, and other initiatives announced during the campaign.

Introduction

As clean energy standards and net-zero commitments accelerate across the United States, utilities and other stakeholders are focusing on the transmission challenges associated with achieving these aggressive goals. Indeed, a robust long-haul high-voltage transmission backbone is the linchpin in our energy transition. Integrating large amounts of renewables (on the order of $11 trillion by 2050 per the latest analysis from BNEF) will require significant additional investments in transmission. But identifying the right transmission investments in the right locations, at the right scale, can deliver benefits far exceeding the cost of such investments.