The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not fully consider the risk climate change poses to the country’s nuclear fleet, according to a top congressional watchdog.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that the NRC uses historical data — rather than climate projections — to identify and assess risk in initial licensing processes and during safety reviews for plants. That may underestimate how droughts, floods, wildfires and extreme weather could affect nuclear power plant operations and safety, the GAO warned.
“Commercial nuclear power plants in the United States were licensed and built an average of 42 years ago, and weather patterns and climate-related risks to their safety and operations have changed since their construction,” the GAO analysts wrote, adding that some climate impacts “are already occurring, and many are expected to continue to worsen.”
The report comes days after the Department of Energy announced a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to restart a shuttered nuclear plant in Michigan, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to cut planet-warming emissions while meeting growing electricity demand.
