Nuclear Plant Closures Couldn’t Have Been Prevented, Regulator Says

The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said there is nothing the agency could have done through regulation to prevent the closure of unprofitable nuclear plants.

“For plants that shut down early to date, I’ve seen a little bit of the profit and loss statements, I don’t know what on Earth the regulator could have done that could’ve saved those units,” NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki said at a June 7 meeting at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Washington headquarters

Power companies have announced the premature closure of their nuclear plants, particularly in competitive wholesale markets overseen by FERC, due ...