Welcome to your Friday Rundown for the week ending Oct. 20. We’ll always keep eyes and ears open for inquiries at info@clearpathaction.org.
CHINA BUILDING U.S.-PIONEERED HIGH-TEMP REACTORS
At the end of this year, China will begin commercializing the first two high-temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactors in more than three decades.
The U.S. first developed the idea 70 years ago and even commercialized two plants in the ‘60s before they were shut down. China’s reactors will be bigger – 250 MW- and have signaled they will attempt even larger reactors capable of maxing out at 600 MW.
These zero-carbon reactors are not only among the safest but are hot enough to be useful in steel manufacturing and petrochemical refining. Saudi Arabia (and likely other thirsty and wealthy Middle Eastern countries) is exploring using these reactors as well to desalinate water and has signed an MOU with China.
These high-temperature reactors would likely not have been possible without the U.S. But we’re not longer leading their advancement.
CONGRESSIONAL ARPA-E LEADERS TOUT REAUTHORIZATION
Leaders of a bipartisan House bill – including 2016 ClearPath endorsements Ryan Costello and Mia Love – sent a Dear Colleague letter outlining their plan to reauthorize the Department of Energy’s popular ARPA-E advanced energy R&D agency through 2022. ClearPath is among the many supporters of the bill, which also include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Nuclear Energy Institute, Carbon Utilization Research Center, Bipartisan Policy Center, Third Way and the American Council for Capital Formation.
Speaking of ACCF, they released a new analysis showing how a streamlined tax code could benefit clean energy technologies.
Among the benefits:
Lower tax rates and immediate expensing would increase after-tax rate of return on all investments, would boost level of investments overall and make it more economical to replace older equipment
U.S. would be a more attractive location especially for conducting R&D on tech to be deployed in the U.S.
Lower rates and no interest deduction would correct an equity financing bias hindering clean energy tech development and commercialization
The Department of Energy announced up to $26 million for cost-shared carbon capture R&D projects. DOE anticipates choosing up to 14 projects that would demonstrate “the potential to provide step-change reductions in both cost and energy penalties associated with implementing carbon capture and enabling technologies for the coal and natural gas power generation sector.” DETAILS
Acting Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee said his top priorities will be pipeline approvals, transmission siting and responding to the Department of Energy’s grid resiliency proposal. Chatterjee laid out his agenda in a speech at the Energy Bar Association’s Mid-Year Energy Forum, his first public speech since taking the FERC gavel in August. UTILITY DIVE
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee postponed a planned vote on another five-year term for Democrat Jeff Baran on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. EPW Chairman John Barrasso hopes to hold the vote next week but a new date has not been announced.
THURSDAYSenate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on advanced cyber technologies that could be used to help protect electric grids and other energy infrastructure from cyberattacks. DETAILS
