US faces nuclear closure dilemma

Closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant last month raises issue of what to do with rest of fleet

The final closure of New York’s 1.04GW Indian Point nuclear power plant last month will likely lead to a gap in baseload generation that will be filled by natural gas. Indian Point was 59 years old and would have needed significant financial investment to keep it going. The Biden administration is considering some form of aid to sustain the ageing US nuclear fleet, a decision that would prevent more carbon-intensive gas fired generation being used to generate electricity at a point where the nation is trying to reduce emissions.  “Many overstress the competition between nuclear and renewables. But really, they are [both] competing against natural gas” Gilbert, Nuclear Innovation Allian