The U.S. could squeeze the equivalent of nine new nuclear reactors out of the existing nuclear power system, according to a new report released by the Electric Power Research Institute on Thursday.
The analysis lays out three strategies for expanding the capacity of the existing fleet: restarting old power plants, increasing the power generation from existing plants and extending licenses for nuclear plants. But hurdles remain for all three of those options, despite the strategies representing easier paths to adding more nuclear power to the grid compared to building brand new plants.
Adding new nuclear energy has become a stronger bipartisan priority as rising power demand threatens to hobble the constrained power system and disrupt efforts to lower emissions.
Just three plants are eligible for restarts: the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, the former Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, newly dubbed the Crane Clean Energy Center and the Duane Arnold plant in Iowa. Other retired nuclear power plants are too far along in the decommissioning process to be brought back, according to grid experts.