1. Georgia nuclear reactor approved to begin operation

 

Unit 3 at nuclear plant Vogtle, located in Waynesboro, Georgia, is on track to begin operation by the end of the year after receiving a significant NRC approval.

• The NRC approved Southern Company to begin loading fuel and complete the required start-up testing for the Unit 3 reactor before it begins producing electricity on the grid.
• The new Unit 4 reactor is expected to begin operation in late 2023.
• Vogtle Units 3 and 4, with a combined 2200 MWe of capacity, are anticipated to power up to 500,000 homes.

Westinghouse, the designer of the two new Vogtle AP1000 reactors, recently began engineering studies in Poland to build multiple new AP1000 reactors.

What’s clear: There is an array of new and advanced American reactor designs, but Russia currently accounts for the majority of reactor exports worldwide. Nuclear is an area where America needs to lead by having multiple demonstrated technology options that can be exported. More from our CEO Rich Powell in Axios.
 

2. The answer to shortages: more American energy

  

America is facing record high energy prices and the possibility of rolling blackouts. The answer to this problem is to produce more American energy.

• In an op-ed in RealClear Energy, Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) explains the importance of utilizing West Virginia’s coal and gas resources along with carbon capture, nuclear, and hydrogen technology.

Rep. Miller is a co-sponsor of two key clean energy bills:

• The bipartisan Energy Sector Innovation Credit (ESIC), a tech-neutral tax credit that encourages private sector investment and innovation; and
• The 45Q tax credit, which rewards companies for capturing and storing CO2.

What’s clear Conservative policymakers are advancing a comprehensive strategy to support a broad range of domestic energy sources in order to reduce reliance on adversaries like China and Russia and ensure American energy independence.
 

3. New bill supporting nuclear microreactors

 

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) introduced the National Strategy to Utilize Microreactors for Natural Disaster Response Efforts Act.

• The bill would facilitate collaboration between federal government agencies to power natural disaster response efforts with portable nuclear microreactors instead of diesel generators.

This legislation “builds off the Department of Defense’s Project Pele and helps develop a strategy to deploy mobile microreactors in new applications, including disaster relief,” said ClearPath Action CEO Rich Powell.

What’s clear: Nuclear is a reliable, baseload technology that produces energy 24/7/365, and is a necessary source for power in America.
 

4. Clear path for permitting modernization

  

The Senate voted to pass Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK)’s resolution to overturn a Biden administration rule that rewrote a Trump-era rule on easing permitting regulations.

• The Trump rule aimed to remove barriers within the permitting process for energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
• The Biden rewrite wwould have made it more difficult for regulators to fast-track environmental reviews on these projects, significantly slowing down the deployment process.

All 50 Senate Republicans are co-sponsors of Senator Sullivan’s resolution. One Democrat, Senator Joe Manchin (R-WV), voted in favor of the resolution.

What’s clear: It is essential that the federal government modernize the permitting process if we are going to meet our climate and economic goals and build cleaner faster.

Plug in: The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board agrees.
 

5. Carbon removal transparency

 

Carbon removal company Charm Industrial has released a public registry showing the life cycle analysis of tons of carbon removed by the company, a level of transparency that is the first of its kind in the industry.

• The registry provides a transparent look at Charm’s carbon dioxide removal (CDR) record, with the intention of encouraging others in the space to do the same.

Charm has also worked with Carbon Direct to create a protocol to improve monitoring, reporting, and verification for sequestering their bio-oil.

Plug in: Our CDR Policy page takes a deep dive into the technology, how it works, and the policy surrounding it.
 

6. ICYMI

• The Republican Main Street Partnership released their Main Street Agenda, a plan consisting of the top five issues that House Republicans should prioritize.
• This week the Senate confirmed Annie Caputo and Bradley Crowell by unanimous voice vote to be NRC commissioners.
• Our Managing Director of Policy Nicholas McMurray has completed his time as a member of the International Trade Administration’s Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee.
• Our Chief External Affairs Officer Luke Bolar moderated a panel on climate communications featuring Liz Bowman of AXPC and Shawna Berger of Duke Energy.