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Calvert Cliffs, Maryland Highlighting nuclear power as a clean, safe and affordable energy source for the United States, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham outlined the Bush Administration’s National Energy Policy priorities to expand the use of nuclear energy in a visit to Calvert Cliffs, Maryland Nuclear Power Plant, the first nuclear power plant granted an extended operation license by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

In an address to plant employees, Abraham said that the Bush Administration’s National Energy Policy (NEP) embraces an expanded role for nuclear power by recommending that nuclear plants meeting stringent safety requirements are relicensed as quickly as possible. Building on advancements in nuclear plant technology, Abraham said, the NEP also encourages the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to expedite applications for new advanced-technology reactors to help meet the energy needs of the country.

Along with supporting legislation to extend the Price-Anderson Act, which insures speedy compensation in case of accidents, Abraham said that the Bush Administration will back legislation clarifying that qualified funds, which are set aside by plant owners for eventual decommissioning operations, will not be taxed as part of those decommissioning transactions.

Nuclear energy is a safe, clean, and efficient form of power generation, Abraham said. America’s demand for electricity is expected to grow by 45 percent over the next 20 years, and nuclear energy will play an important role in meeting that energy demand.

Abraham noted that the average nuclear plant, while producing safe, clean and affordable energy, currently operates at 90 percent capacity, greatly above the average operating capacity of 70 percent just ten years ago. That increase translates into an additional 23,000 megawatts of power, the same as building nearly 29 additional nuclear power plants similar to Calvert Cliffs. And the support for nuclear power continues to grow, with a recent poll by Bisconti Research showing that 66 percent of all Americans support building more nuclear power plants, up from 51 percent in January 2001.

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