DOE Releases Electricity Markets and Reliability Report

The Department of Energy released its Staff Report to Secretary Rick Perry on Electricity Markets and Reliability yesterday.

Secretary Perry stated in his cover letter, "This study contains a comprehensive analysis and series of recommendations from the Department of Energy staff meant to inform and guide policy makers, regulators, and the general public in future conversations about the challenges we face."

The report states nuclear energy is a strategic national asset and and continued U.S. leadership in the global nuclear energy market has important nonproliferation and safety ramifications to national security interests:
"While the environmental and reliability impacts of the [nuclear plant] closures are well understood, what many don't realize is that these closures also pose long-term risks to our national security. As the nuclear power industry declines, it discourages the development of our most important anti-proliferation asset: a bunch of smart nuclear scientists and engineers….The loss of expertise from a declining domestic nuclear workforce makes it hard for Americans to conduct the inspections that help keep the world safe from nuclear weapons."  

DOE has opened the report to public comments.