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Nuclear power in America: Five reasons why it's safe and reliable

Though the crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant appears to be stabilizing, the United States is stepping up inspections of the country’s 104 nuclear reactors. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced that inspectors will soon visit all US reactors to ensure they can withstand the kind of “severe accident” that led to Japan’s emergency. That emergency has caused many Americans to wonder about the future of nuclear power. Is it safe and dependable? Yes, says Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer and senior vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Here’s why:

5. Nuclear is necessary

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US electricity demand is projected to increase 24 percent by 2035. Yet over the next decade, eight gigawatts of coal-fired electric generating capacity will retire, according to the Energy Information Administration. We should recognize that the vast majority of our non-hydroelectric generating plants operating today will need to be retired and replaced over the next 30-to-40 years. Like their predecessors, many of these needed replacement plants must generate large amounts of electricity and operate 24 hours per day to “keep the lights on” for all of us. Our needs demand they not operate intermittently based on the availability of their fuel source, which can be an issue with some non-traditional resources. As we increasingly emphasize a low-carbon economy, our need for clean electric generating capacity will grow. Nuclear energy fills this role.

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