Happy Friday! The Rundown will not publish February 24, but we’ll be back in your inbox on March 3.

1. Clear Path to a Clean Energy Future 2022

 

Last year, America reaffirmed its global clean energy leadership with more aggressive public and private sector action, ranging from the wave of bipartisan landmark federal funding for clean energy research, development, and deployment to more ambitious state and utility decarbonization commitments.

• Increased ambition and targeted investments are projected to substantially drive down power sector emissions by the end of this decade.

ClearPath published its second edition of “Clear Path to a Clean Energy Future,” updating the inaugural edition, tracking the power sector, clean technology, and policy trends in America.

What’s clear: This analysis led to three key findings:

• Power sector carbon emissions are projected to plummet in the near term, but we are not on track for net-zero emissions by 2050;
• Retaining the existing nuclear fleet is essential to prevent an emissions rebound in the long term; and
• Technology-inclusive decarbonization promotes affordability.

Plug in: Clear Path to a Clean Energy Future 2022 by Senior Research Associate Casey Kelly and Managing Director of Research Spencer Nelson.

2. Four key steps for nuclear energy policy support 

  

Consensus is building around the need for more nuclear energy to achieve America’s energy goals, play a key role in the global energy market, and lower global emissions.

• Today, the nuclear industry is heading towards a more optimistic future, but the next few years are crucial to enable wide-scale deployment.

What’s clear: The advanced reactor market is at an inflection point. Investors and end-users are closely watching these first-of-a-kind projects for crucial market signals.

Plug in: ClearPath has identified four areas to focus federal policy to provide the boost of confidence necessary for investors and end-users to scale from building one reactor at home to building hundreds both domestically and internationally.

1. Fuel up and complete current projects
2. Modernize the regulatory process
3. Attract new markets
4. Prepare the international market for American technology

Dive into our latest blog post by Policy Advisor Natalie Houghtalen and Managing Director of Policy Niko McMurray.

3. Carbon capture for coal is real

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The largest U.S. retrofit of a coal plant with carbon capture, Petra Nova, is planning to resume operations in 2023.

What’s clear: When operational, Petra Nova captured over 3 million tons of carbon dioxide.

• In Texas, Petra Nova was in the top ten percentile of largest clean energy sources.  

4. Double dose of nuclear bills introduced this week

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This week, Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), John Barrasso (R-WY), and James Risch (R-ID) introduced the Bipartisan Nuclear Fuel Security Act, which would establish domestic nuclear fuel programs to ensure Russian uranium disruptions would not affect the United States’ current or future nuclear reactors. This bill will help keep future fuel supplies on track.

Separately, Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Scott Peters (D-CA) reintroduced the Global Nuclear Energy Assessment and Cooperation Act, which would bolster the United States’ nuclear energy sector and provide an American alternative to Russian and Chinese nuclear energy exports.

What’s clear: "Nuclear energy is a vital component of a clean and reliable energy future in the United States and across the globe," said ClearPath Action CEO Rich Powell.

• "This bill will help keep America as the global leader of nuclear energy development, preventing foreign adversaries like China or Russia from gaining more ground on the nuclear energy markets."

Plug in: In a recent column written by DJ Nordquist, formerly with the World Bank, and Jeffrey S. Merrifield, formerly with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the World Bank needs to consider the math required to reach net-zero, and acknowledge there’s no way to get close to this goal without a lot more nuclear power – these bills will help us get there.

5. Carbon storage permitting backlog 

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Carbon storage permitting backlogs at the EPA are delaying significant clean energy projects in Texas, Louisiana, and other states, according to the Houston Chronicle.

• More than 30 underground carbon storage projects are being delayed due to the EPA’s lengthy approval process.
• Louisiana’s application for Primacy of Class VI wells has experienced significant delays by this Administration.
• Texas is in pre-application discussions with the EPA to submit for Class VI Primacy.

What’s clear: Streamlining the permitting process and removing obstacles for the deployment of carbon capture is crucial for the success of this technology and to get CO2 safely stored underground.

Plug in: America’s first CCS project developed under state Class VI primacy, an ethanol plant in North Dakota, began operation last summer. In 2018, ND became the first state to secure Class VI primacy, and now Red Trail Energy is capturing 100% of emissions from its ethanol fermentation process and injecting approximately 500 metric tons of CO2 into storage wells per day.

6. Swiss CO2 removal leader pitches Gulf Coast hub

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Climeworks is laying the groundwork to develop over a dozen DAC facilities in the United States, including in Louisiana.

• Climeworks is looking to submit up to four funding proposals for DOE’s $3.5 billion in funding made available in IIJA for the direct air capture (DAC) hub program;
• They were the operator of the world’s first DAC and storage facility; and have 
• Ambition to remove 1 billion tons of CO2 per year by 2050.

What’s clear: America is attracting more competition to reduce emissions while leading the world to deploy clean technologies.  

7. ClearPath expanding operations team

 

ClearPath is hiring for a new role and a new program! This is an exciting opportunity to help us build something from the ground up. A mix of program strategy and execution, this role will help us foster the next generation of talent to further accelerate clean energy innovation and climate policy.

Plug in: Apply to be program director of the Conservative Climate Leadership Program.

• Check out our other opportunities here.

8. ICYMI

• Centrus announced it has completed construction of a cascade of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges and is on track to begin demonstrating first-of-a-kind production of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) in Piketon, Ohio, by the end of 2023.
• Nuclear energy may be the best bet for bipartisan permitting reform policy this year, according to an article in E&E News. 
• Yesterday, the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors announced plans to move forward with a Valley Pathways Study that will look at all potential technological innovations that could accelerate the region’s clean-energy economy.

9. Coming down the pipeline

• March 8, 2023 at noon – The Columbia SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy is hosting an event, “Can Nuclear Power Be On Time and On Budget: A Discussion of Nuclear Power Construction,” featuring ClearPath Advisor and former Under Secretary for Science at DOE Paul Dabbar.