A report from the Energy Futures Initiative, headed by former Energy Department Secretary Ernest Moniz, calls for greater support for nuclear power based on the premise that a strong commercial nuclear power sector is needed to ensure safety of material that has enormous potential for harm if it fell into the wrong hands.
The report has been reviewed by Bloomberg News, which says the report's primary author is Moniz, who is a credentialed nuclear scientist. The Moniz report calls for an expansion of the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program for nuclear power companies and tax credits for new power plants. It also calls for more funding for nuclear technology research.
Nuclear power creates about 20 percent of the country's electricity, but the recommendations in the report are at odds with the current administration's strategy on nuclear power. President Trump's first federal budget calls for a reduction in nuclear power research spending and elimination of the loan guarantees.
The report calls attention to the downturn in the U.S. nuclear power industry, symbolized by the bankruptcy of Westinghouse Electric Company, which says its restructuring will include a new focus on decommissioning nuclear power plants, as opposed to the pre-bankruptcy focus on building them.
The report also points out the fragility of the U.S. supply chain, noting that few U.S. companies design and fabricate major components for nuclear power plants. By extension, federal defense (especially the U.S. Navy) and research, which rely on nuclear power, would be put at risk if more of the supply chain were to collapse.
In addition, there is a critical mass required to keep the United States in the forefront of nuclear research. With fewer commercial power plants and less funding available, universities will begin to fold up their nuclear research departments. U.S. expertise that relies on strong university involvement is also at risk if the commercial sector falters, the report says.