For starters, it is worth clarifying that utilities LIKE many green mandates because they get to ramp up electricity prices for all those “renewables: which means bigger profits for them and their companies.
That said, those energy companies STILL need to provide reliable electricity. So, when the head of Duke Energy, one of America’s largest utility’s says, “Net-Zero emissions can’t be achieved without nuclear power,” it is worth paying attention.
Gov. MLG wants the Democrat-controlled New Mexico Legislature to adopt legislation during the 2022 session to make New Mexico “net zero” CO2 emissions by 2050. Did she discuss nuclear energy? No, of course not. Instead, thanks to New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act, passed in 2019 at the behest of our Governor, PNM is in the process of abandoning nuclear and will get out of leases it currently has with the Palo Verde nuclear plant in Arizona in 2023 and 2024.
Duke Energy’s CEO further elaborated on the issue, saying, “I want to keep that nuclear fleet operating as long as I possibly can because I don’t have an alternative of a carbon-free resource that runs 95% of the time, which is what nuclear represents today.”
It’s really a sad situation. People i.e. politicians would have you believe that somehow we can have the power we need with “renewables”. Take it from me, an electrical engineer with about 40 years of energy experience under my belt. It ain’t gonna happen. Sorry Charlie and Michelle.
As a retired solar engineer with a career spanning over 40 years, including 26 at Sandia, I can absolutely guarantee that net zero is not going to happen by 2050. Perhaps by 2500, but I doubt even by then.
Maybe our governor should follow the lead of governor Newsom in California. He recently signed a bill that classifies natural gas as zero carbon. Check this out.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2021/11/03/california-governor-gavin-newsom-proclaims-natural-gas-to-be-zero-carbon/?sh=13c3420762ad
Thank you! That is definitely useful information!
The Broke Back Better people have their gurus who tell them what to believe. Jeremy Rifkin is one of them. Climate change is their religion and it doesn’t have to measure up scientifically for them to believe in it.
NM is blessed with many natural resources and a specialized workforce that has unique expertise in energy development and production. Here are three locations in NM that would be ideal to build “new” nuclear:
The San Juan Basin: As coal is phased out, it could be replaced by nuclear generation. Working with the Navajo Nation, nuclear firms can train the local utility work force to make the transition.
Middle Rio Grande Valley: Nuclear works best when it is sited fairly near electricity demand and has access to cooling water. The Middle Rio Grande region is ideal because both of these needs are met.
Lower Pecos River Valley: The Oil & Gas industry in Eddy and Lea Counties is on a long term upswing. A nuclear plant situated in the lower Pecos Valley would provide needed power for this expansion.