Colorado Lawmakers Reintroduce Nuclear Feasibility Bill
The potential for introducing small-modular reactors (SMRs) to Colorado will get a second look at the state legislature thanks to a new bill currently being considered. HB23-1080, sponsored by Representative Ty Winter (R.) and Senator Byron Pelton (R.), would direct the Colorado Energy Office to conduct a feasibility study for the use of SMRs as […]
Governor Polis Again Downplays Nuclear Energy…But with a Catch
Colorado’s Governor may not be a huge proponent of nuclear energy, but he at least isn’t ruling it out either. Fresh off his resounding reelection victory earlier this month, Governor Jared Polis took to the national stage with an appearance on the popular HBO political talk show “Real Time with Bill Maher” last week. During […]
Even Legacy Environmentalists Have Come Around on Advanced Nuclear Power
It’s unmistakable that there’s been a sea-change around popular support for nuclear energy. A confluence of factors, including the ongoing need to confront climate change, turmoil in global oil and gas supplies due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and persisting electric grid instability in states like California and Texas have drawn the public’s focus […]
Xcel Gives Up Plan to Expand Hydropower in Colorado
Pumped-storage hydropower won’t be the answer to Xcel’s need for dispatchable zero-carbon energy. At least not for now. According to the Colorado Sun: Xcel Energy has killed its plan to build a hydropower project in Unaweep Canyon. The utility on Wednesday morning told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that it was withdrawing its application for a […]
Western Utility Announces Consideration of Five SMRs for Coal-to-Nuclear Transition
Wyoming and Utah are looking to lead the wave of next-generation advanced nuclear energy. PacifiCorp, the parent company of the western-state regulated utilities Rocky Mountain Power and Pacific Power, announced a partnership on Wednesday with the small modular reactor firm Terrapower. The two firms will be conducting a joint study to evaluate the feasibility of […]
New DOE Study Finds 5 Coal Plant Sites in Colorado That Could Convert to Nuclear
A brand new study released today from the Department of Energy (DOE) finds multiple locations in Colorado that could benefit from a coal-to-nuclear power transition. The study authors examined both operational and recently retired (within the last 10 years) coal plants across the country to screen for siting characteristics deemed favorable for a nuclear conversion. […]
What Not to Do: California Energy Policy Serves As a Warning to Colorado
Just days after finalizing a future ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) sent out a bulletin Tuesday afternoon warning that an expected heat wave posed serious threats to the reliability of the state’s electric grid. Starting tomorrow through Tuesday, California and the West are expecting extreme heat that […]
Japan’s Nuclear U-Turn
The country of Japan is often trotted out by anti-nuclear environmental types as a go-to case study for why the U.S. should eschew nuclear energy in favor of renewables to meet our emissions goals. It’s experience during the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, when a massive tsunami triggered a partial meltdown in three of the plant’s […]
Small Modular Reactors Get New Industry, Government Buy-In
Nuclear fission truly is a bit of unicorn in the world’s panoply of energy sources. Not only is it extremely efficient at reliably producing electricity—generating zero carbon emissions while doing so—it can also be used to co-produce heat and steam. That makes it an appealing option for hard to decarbonize businesses in the industrial sector, […]
Federal Support for Advanced Nuclear is Bipartisan, Why Not in CO?
In a previous post I covered the partisan split that still exists in public polling over nuclear energy. “Currently, 39% of Democrats versus 60% of Republicans and 53% of independents favor nuclear energy,” according to the latest Gallup polling on the issue. But that hasn’t stopped a bipartisan consensus from forming in the federal government […]
