Some Feel-Good Energy News to Counter the Scary Headlines

As we approach Halloween, here’s a real scare for you.

According to our regional electric grid provider, we are increasingly at risk of power outages thanks to the combination of slow deployment of new generation and unprecedented demand 

In other words, rolling power blackouts or brownouts are a real possibility in the not-too-distant future – if we don’t start producing more electricity.

The first big new electricity producer is expected to come from a well-known source – formerly Three Mile Island Unit 1, now known as Crane Clear Energy Center. Before it shut down for economic reasons in 2019, TMI Unit 1 had enough generating capacity to power more than 800,000 homes.

It’s expected that the newly renamed Crane Center will be back online as early as next year, producing 835 megawatts of clean, reliable electricity. That’s good news for workers, as the restarted plant is expected to create more than 600 direct jobs for Pennsylvania workers.

Not only is the restart of this unit ahead of schedule, but a recent report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found that the facility will have "no significant impact" on things like groundwater and surface water, as well as local noise.

Vistra, the parent company of Beaver Valley Power Station outside Pittsburgh, recently announced it has received a $4.2 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to upgrade its fleet of nuclear plants, including Beaver Valley. The result will add more electricity to the grid while also sustaining and growing Pennsylvania jobs.

The same is true for Limerick Clean Energy Center in Montgomery County, owned by Constellation Energy. The Limerick plant is among 11 Constellation-owned units set to see an increase in power production, thanks to a deal with Google.

This is all good news for Pennsylvania workers, communities and especially consumers, who have continued to see their electric bills climb to higher and higher levels – with seemingly no end in sight.

America needs more energy production to keep up with rising demand. That’s not a scare tactic. That’s reality.

Pennsylvania is already a leader in nuclear energy production and in the complex supply chain supporting these new reactors. Companies like Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse rely on an intricate network of small- and medium-sized manufacturers across the state for specialized equipment, metals and fabrication.

All these factors place Pennsylvania in the unique position of benefitting tremendously not just in the emissions-free, baseload power that nuclear units produce, but also from the thousands of jobs supporting the operation and expansion of the plants.

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that Westinghouse has received a commitment for $17.5 billion in federal loans to jumpstart its production of up to 10 AP1000 nuclear reactors to be built across the United States.

Beyond traditional reactors, there is a rapidly growing market for small modular reactors, or SMRs, which should be smaller, lower cost and easier to build and locate at scale. The market for these reactors is growing fast, and Pennsylvania has the skilled workers and the infrastructure to lead the way.

Penn State University, a member of Energy Future PA, has been working collaboratively with Westinghouse to develop this pioneering SMR technology. It’s that kind of innovation and collaboration that will lead to new advances in energy production and continue Pennsylvania’s rich legacy as the nation’s energy leader.

With all of these announcements about increasing electricity production through investments in nuclear plants, it’s easy to forget that you need power lines to transmit that electricity from the plants to communities, homes and businesses.

Well, there’s good news there, too. Allentown-based PPL recently announced it has received a $71.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to upgrade and modernize its transmission lines – effectively tripling the capacity along nearly 30 miles of lines in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Those upgrades will help ease congestion along the lines and prevent outages as new production comes online.

So, if you’ve been reading the headlines about a looming energy crisis, it’s understandable why you might feel like you’re in a horror movie with the lights ready to go out at any time.

But no need to jump out of your seats just yet.

There is good energy news happening here in Pennsylvania, so feel free to watch this movie with the lights on.

Kate Harper and Conor Lamb are co-chairs of Energy Future PA, a nonpartisan coalition focused on securing Pennsylvania’s leadership in a decarbonized energy economy. Harper is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing parts of Montgomery County, and Lamb is a former Democratic U.S. Congressman from Allegheny County.