Welcome to your Friday Rundown for the week ending May 18. Feedback is always welcome at info@clearpathaction.org.
HOUSE APPROPRIATORS SPUR CLEAN ENERGY DIRECTION
The House Appropriations Committee approved a sweeping set of resources and program directionto the Department of Energy that would spur advanced nuclear, carbon capture, energy storage and other clean energy technologies.
Builds upon direction in the FY18 spending deal for DOE to map out a “moonshot” goal for demonstrating advanced nuclear technologies with the private sector by the mid to late 2020s
Directs the energy secretary to launch a department-wide energy storage effort with aggressive performance targets, utilizing the strengths of the agency’s electricity, renewable and science offices to drive down costs and improve performance of grid-scale technologies
Prioritizes R&D of new advanced reactor designs by providing $100 million for advanced small modular nuclear reactor R&D, which helps innovative pending designs — such as NuScale Power’s — get up and running on schedule; and $155 million for advanced reactor technologies that could help more advanced technologies being worked on by Terrapower, X-energy and others
Includes $65 million for a versatile test reactor design, building off the initial resources provided in the recently-enacted FY18 omnibus for a national lab facility critical to the development of advanced nuclear by private developers
Provides up to $20 million for testing of high assay low-enriched uranium (HA-LEU), which will be needed to fuel many advanced nuclear concepts
Supports scale-up of carbon capture efforts, including new solicitations for advanced fossil fuel system engineering, and specifically projects that generate emissions suitable for utilization or storage
Advances and fully funds the ongoing five-year R&D effort led by DOE’s Energy Innovation Hubs – namely the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (developing extraordinary new batteries) and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (using sunlight to turn water into clean hydrogen fuel)
The Senate Appropriations Committee is taking up its FY19 Energy and Water spending bill next week.
HOUSE ENERGY CONSIDERS DRAFT ADVANCED NUCLEAR BILLS
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy will hold a hearing Tuesday on draft bills to propel “micro reactors” at military and national security facilities and expand the availability of advanced nuclear fuels. A draft bill from Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) would direct the Energy Department to establish a program supporting availability of HA-LEU via public-private partnerships to address regulatory and market challenges.
A second draft bipartisan bill led by from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) would require the secretary of energy to report on key components of a pilot program to site, construct and operate “micro reactors” at critical Defense Department or Energy Department national security facilities.
The May 22 hearing also looks at the NUKE Act (H.R. 1320)from Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), which would streamline Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing and update NRC’s fee structure by limiting how much NRC can collect for overhead costs tied to running the agency to ensure adequate funding is spent to develop a regulatory framework for advanced reactors without overcharging.
NUCLEAR: THE GLOBAL CLEAN ENERGY WORKHORSE
Thanks to the leadership of the Department of Energy and the governments of Japan and Canada, nuclear power will finally be recognized as the workhorse of the global clean energy at next week’s Clean Energy Ministerial in Copenhagen, the ninth gathering of the world’s largest economies to discuss deploying clean energy technologies. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, representatives from Idaho National Lab and Nuclear Energy Agency and ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell will be participating in an official side event at the ministerial.
But nuclear won’t look like it does now if it’s going to achieve its full potential in anchoring a global clean energy system.
In his latest whiteboard video, Rich Powell explains that the virtues of the current nuclear fleet – namely its carbon-free power and 24/7 reliability – must be coupled with ever-changing demands of our global energy industry. That includes new technologies that make it smaller and highly scalable for use in cities and remote areas and allow for high-temperature use to decarbonize heavy industrial processes.
Deputy Secretary Brouillette and Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg will be participating in another official side event at the ministerial launching a new effort to promote and expand carbon capture technologies. Senior officials from Norway, the International Energy Agency, Saudi Arabia, Japan, United Kingdom and Occidental Petroleum are among other participants.
SENATE ENERGY APPROVES SMALL HYDRO BILL
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a bill from Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) that would expedite federal reviews of small conduit (or energy-recovery) hydropower projects.
The Promoting Conduit Hydropower Facilities Act (H.R. 2786), approved by the House last July, aims to aid projects that are typically low impact because they are constructed as part of existing water infrastructure, such as irrigation canals and pipes that deliver water to cities and for industrial and agricultural use. One of the most promising untapped sources for new hydropower is in small and existing man-made structures.
DOE announced $72 million for technologies that use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a focused point, where it is collected and converted into heat. That thermal heat can then be stored and used to produce power when needed, even when the sun isn’t shining. DETAILS
American Council for Capital Formation energy innovation director Drew Bond has a great op-ed arguing that a true “all of the above” energy strategy has to include sufficient help for energy storage, advanced carbon capture and small modular nuclear reactors. “These three areas could truly transform our energy future, but not anytime soon unless we make them a priority,” Drew writes. DAILY CALLER
