Michigan will need to not only maintain its current nuclear power plants but also add new ones, in order to meet its clean energy goals.
That's the conclusion of a draft report commissioned by the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Michigan's clean energy standard aims for 50% of the state's electricity to be produced with renewable or zero net-emission sources by 2030, 60% by 2035, and 100% by 2040.
The Enercon draft report commissioned by the state's utility regulator says nuclear energy will have to be one of those sources, as Michigan's reliance on wind and solar expands, and its reliance on coal and natural gas declines.
The report acknowledges that new reactors come with a very high upfront construction cost, but once in operation, produce highly reliable electricity.
The report also says Michigan has a good safety record for its nuclear facilities. But critics say the drafters did not mention a 1966 accident at the Fermi I plant (shuttered since 1972) that melted a portion of the plant's fuel. They say the report seriously downplays the risks of nuclear energy.
