ScottMadden, Inc., one of North America’s leading management consulting firms specializing in energy, recently released a new report focused on the importance of nuclear generation for achieving real reductions in carbon emissions. This report, a continuation of an earlier report, highlights the potential for “giving back” gains in carbon-free generation from solar and wind through early retirement of nuclear.
While renewable energy has experienced significant growth, in part due to focused policies that promote wind and solar, nuclear has faced a wave of actual and announced premature retirements. To understand this potential for loss of a significant amount of carbon-free generation, ScottMadden assessed “at-risk” nuclear assets to better understand the magnitude of the potential impact on carbon intensity of the U.S. electricity sector.
“It is discouraging to see the amount of carbon emission reduction in the electric power sector we could have achieved with the growth in renewable energy if nuclear energy was as valued by policymakers as renewables,” explains Sean Lawrie, partner at ScottMadden.
“Even excellent performing plants are not immune, which makes this particularly disappointing to the industry,” adds Ed Baker, partner at ScottMadden.
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About ScottMadden’s Energy Practice
We know energy from the ground up. Since 1983, we have served as energy consultants for hundreds of utilities, large and small, including all top 20 energy utilities. We have helped our clients develop strategies, improve operations, reorganize companies, and implement initiatives. Our broad and deep energy utility expertise is not theoretical—it is experience based.