Third Way Report Answers, What Happens if the United States Shut Down Nuclear Power Plants?

A recent energy report developed by Third Way, a Washington, D.C. based think tank, revealed that national emission reduction goals set by the EPA will be difficult to meet if nuclear plants continue to be prematurely shut down.

Third Way teamed up with MIT-trained researchers to unravel the implications of "What will happen to carbon emissions if more reactors shut down?” and details the effects of reducing nuclear energy production.

According to the report, the effects would eliminate U.S. carbon reduction progress made so far.

• In the worst case, emissions would revert to their peak levels in 2005, basically eliminating a decade of progress in carbon reduction.
• Natural gas would predominately replace the nuclear plants when they go offline.
• Renewables growth has been strong but wouldn’t keep up to replace the lost nuclear power given the current policies.

The report further highlights that nuclear power in the U.S. has come under harsh economic and policy pressure in recent years, and given the goals that have been set in the EPA's Clean Power Plan, the future of nuclear energy is at a crossroads.

To read more on the implications of shifting away from nuclear power production and the full Third Way report, click here.