During a virtual panel discussion sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Arshad Mansoor, president and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), highlighted the importance of nuclear generation to the resilience of the U.S. electric power system.

He cited the performance of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) nuclear power plants during the recent Texas winter storm that led to massive power outages. Mansoor also expressed confidence in the potential for new and emerging nuclear energy technologies to support continued grid decarbonization.

“The resiliency of nuclear power plants, the diversity that nuclear power plants bring is something we cannot lose in the near-term as we transition to this low- to no carbon grid,” Mansoor said. “We need to value reliability. We need to value resiliency; we need to value inertia and not just value kilowatt-hour. Our largest source of carbon-free energy today comes from the U.S. nuclear fleet. We at EPRI are looking into digitalization, modernization of existing and future nuclear plants. We’ve got to bring it to a place where it’s more affordable.”