Maryland governor speaks on the state’s nuclear future
Despite being home to just one nuclear power plant, the 1,756-MWe Calvert Cliffs, Maryland is among the top producers of nuclear power in the country relative to its total generated power.
This is an energy strategy that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recently said he plans to expand on, in part through his recent signing of the state’s Next Generation Energy Act, H.B. 1035.
Moore
More details: In response to the Department of Energy naming of 10 companies for its Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program (none of which are based in Maryland), a recent Baltimore Sun article explored how Moore will work to ensure that the state doesn’t fall behind others in expanding its nuclear presence.
In a statement to the Sun, Moore, a longtime supporter of nuclear and Maryland-based X-energy, reiterated that he is “committed to meeting Maryland’s energy needs with a strategy that includes nuclear power, increases production, and reduces costs on consumers.”
Part of that support comes in the form of H.B. 1035, which Moore signed at the end of May. The bill is a compromise for the governor, who previously supported the ENERGIZE Act, a bill that would have created a 100 percent clean-energy goal for the state and passed nuclear energy project costs to ratepayers.
The ENERGIZE Act failed to pass through the legislature; state Senate President Bill Ferguson specifically called out the burden being placed on ratepayers as “something that we were not going to tolerate.”
NGEA changes: The case is far from closed on nuclear in Maryland, however. The now-passed H.B.1035, which went into effect in July, still provides a strong foundation for new projects in the state.
Among other changes, the bill codifies that “it is the policy of the state to encourage the development of clean, carbon-free nuclear power, including development through innovative designs” and opens applications for new nuclear projects.
It establishes that the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), in coordination with the Department of Natural Resources, will pursue cost-sharing agreements with neighboring states in the PJM region to “mitigate the risks of developing new nuclear energy generating stations.”
In the bill, the MEA is also charged with pursuing agreements with federal agencies regarding the siting of small modular reactors on federal land or near federal facilities.
Back to Calvert Cliffs: H.B. 1035 also includes a nod to Calvert Cliffs, which is owned by Constellation Energy. In February, Constellation announced that they were investing roughly $100 million in the plant to upgrade electrical systems and plant equipment, a project that could increase the generation capabilities of the plant by 10 percent.
One section of the new bill formally opens applications for any projects “to upgrade the generation capabilities of an existing nuclear energy generating station.” As Maryland’s sole nuclear power plant, Calvert Cliffs is the only site to which this new clause applies.
