DOE Secretary Urges Reforms to the U.S. Electrical Grid

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today, asking the Commission to issue a final rule "requiring its organized markets to develop and implement reforms that would fully price generation resources necessary to maintain the reliability and resiliency of our nation’s grid." 

This letter comes on the heels of the Staff Report to the Secretary on Electricity Markets and Reliability, which concluded that more should be done to preserve baseload generating capacity.

Perry also announced today "conditional commitments for up to $3.7 billion in loan guarantees to Vogtle owners" to further support the construction of Vogtle's two reactors. 

ANS President Bob Coward had the following statement of support that was issued, "The American Nuclear Society (ANS) supports Secretary Perry's actions to improve the resiliency of the U.S. electricity grid. A secure, stable grid is critical to support our nation's economy and deliver affordable, reliable power to all Americans. It is time for FERC to properly value and preserve grid reliability and resiliency benefits that nuclear and other baseload energy generators provide. ANS looks forward to working with the Department of Energy in pursuit of this important goal."