Bill includes nuclear in Washington plan for clean power

A bill that would promote nuclear power in Washington state as a clean power source was passed out of a Senate committee this week, but with some opposition.

Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, the lead sponsor of the bill, proposed the legislation to maximize the use of nuclear power in the state’s carbon reduction strategy. She is particularly interested in the possibilities for small modular reactors.

The legislation would require any state plan submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency related to its Clean Power Plan or any rule adopted by the state under the federal plan provide for the use of nuclear generation to the maximum extent allowed. Small modular reactors are specifically mentioned.

The reactors are proposed to be manufactured in factory and then shipped in modules to where they would be used, with more modules added as needed.

EPA set carbon pollution limits for the nation’s existing power plants in August in a rule called the Clean Power Plan. It set plans for individual states to reduce carbon pollution from existing plants and requires them to submit plans to ensure they meet carbon emission goals.

In Washington state, nuclear power has unfortunately become a partisan issue, even though it is supported by the Obama administration, Brown said.

“The administration understands that a reliable, carbon-free source of baseload power — like nuclear — is a must for any realistic strategy,” Brown said in a statement after the hearing.

Washington state law does not include any provisions against nuclear power, said Sen. John McCoy, D-Tulalip.

“Nuclear is part of the power mix,” he said. “The issue is, ‘Do we move nuclear to the top of the list and only support nuclear?’ The answer is no.”

It requires too much water and requires that uranium be mined, he said. He also pointed out that the nation has no repository for storing used nuclear fuel, he said. But it should still be considered part of the overall mix of energy for the state.

He voted against passing the bill out of committee, with Brown and four other senators in favor.

Energy Northwest testified in favor of the bill. Spokesman Mike Paoli said all credible analyses, done by agencies ranging from the EPA to the International Energy Agency, conclude the nation and world cannot achieve a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions without preserving existing U.S. reactors and large scale construction of new reactors.

Energy Northwest is expected to operate a small modular reactor being developed by Oregon-based NuScale Power, which likely will be located in Idaho. It will prepare Energy Northwest to bring NuScale technology to Washington, and ideally the Tri-Cities, in 10 to 15 years when new power generation is needed in the state, Paoli said.

However, a representative of the Oregon and Washington chapters of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Charles Johnson, said operation of a NuScale small modular reactor would require a vote of the people.

In 1981, state residents passed an initiative requiring voter approval before bonds are issued for energy production projects with a capacity of 250 megawatts or more. NuScale is proposing 50 megawatt reactors that could be linked together in groups of up to 12 to generate 600 megawatts.

“It is premature for us to decide to add this to the Clean Power Plan,” Johnson said.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Bill includes nuclear in Washington plan for clean power."