BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Nuclear energy generation in the US is expected to increase by 2 percent year-on-year summer 2023, Trend reports.
A number of nuclear reactors in the country have been out for the past years, although, as the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects, with a new reactor at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, which is scheduled to start commercial operation in June, the nuclear generation capacity in the US will grow.
“Georgia Power expects to open another reactor at Vogtle around the beginning of 2024. The expected increase in summer generation from solar, wind, and nuclear power reduces our forecast of generation from coal-fired power plants,” EIA noted.
At the same time, remaining coal plants in the US are expected to operate at lower pace, since the utilities have retired about 6 percent of coal capacity over the past 12 months. Thus, EIA forecasts coal-fired generation in the country to decrease by 15 percent year-on-year this summer.
“Natural gas remains the largest source of U.S. electricity generation, and we forecast that natural gas-fired power plants will generate 3 percent more this summer compared with last year. Additional natural gas-fired generating capacity and favorable fuel costs contribute to our forecast of increased summer generation from that fuel,” the agency added.