Thursday, June 29, 2017

Trump to Announce Steps to Aid Nuclear Industry

President Trump met yesterday at the White House with state and tribal leaders. (Credit:  Emily Holden/E&E News) Click to Enlarge.
President Trump is expected to boost the nation's sagging nuclear industry today at the pinnacle of his weeklong promotion of American energy "dominance," according to multiple sources.

Trump could announce a review of nuclear energy's role in national electricity generation and possible strategies to support it, like establishing a nuclear "czar" in the White House, sources said.  Trump is scheduled to speak at the Energy Department at 3:25 p.m.

Other sources said he may debut plans to streamline the review process for exporting nuclear reactor designs. Industry has long complained that it takes too long.

Additionally, Trump is likely to announce U.S. exports of coal or liquefied natural gas to Ukraine, according to a report by Bloomberg and an E&E News source.

Nuclear and coal are facing competition from the surge of cheap natural gas and expanding renewable power in domestic markets.  While Trump's announcements would not help those fuels gain market share in the United States, it could give the industries hope for building international demand.

The efforts would also reinforce the administration's message of establishing the United States as a global energy leader in the pursuit of helping other countries build zero-carbon nuclear fleets and thwarting attempts by Russia to exert power through energy exports.

The nuclear industry contends that long-standing export policies in the United States are hampering the sale of reactor technologies and the expansion of services related to engineering and operational expertise.  They could be worth billions of dollars in the international market, industry says.

For years, the industry has called for revamping policies that were last revised in the 1980s. The industry says those policies put the U.S. nuclear industry at a disadvantage to countries like Russia and China.

Read more at Trump to Announce Steps to Aid Nuclear Industry

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