Transforming Energy Lecture

Thursday, December 3, 2015
4:30 p.m.
1110 Kim Engineering Building
Amanda McCrum
301 405 9378
amccrum@umd.edu

Maria Korsnick, Chief Operating Officer, Nuclear Energy Institute

"Nuclear Energy’s Vital Role in America’s Diverse Electricity System" 

Abstract:
The diversity of fuels and technologies is one of the greatest strengths of America’s electricity system, and nuclear energy is a crucial part of the mix. Nuclear energy provides one-fifth of our electricity overall and 63 percent of the nation’s carbon-free electricity. Nuclear energy is distinct in that it is the only electricity source that can generate vast amounts of carbon-free electricity around the clock at industry-leading reliability. While these attributes are important every day, they came into sharp focus during the 2014 Polar Vortex. When many natural gas and coal-fired power plants were idle for lack of fuel, nuclear power plants ran at 95 percent capacity or better and proved critical in keeping the grid up and running. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan underscores the importance of nuclear energy. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to meet the EPA’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 32 percent by 2030 without both existing and new reactors. All low-carbon energy sources will be needed to meet this aggressive goal, and nuclear power is the most significant source of clean-air energy. One nuclear energy facility produces enough electricity for three-quarters of a million people, without emitting carbon dioxide or other air pollutants. Nuclear energy’s high efficiency enables it to prevent six times more carbon emissions than wind power.  

In a carbon-constrained world with an unquenchable thirst for electricity, nuclear power plants provide extraordinary value. The nuclear industry is working with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating licenses for some nuclear plants beyond 60 years, and the industry is building five nuclear plants in the southeastern United States. In addition, the industry is developing advanced reactor designs that will provide greater options for clean electricity technologies in the future.

This is a time of transformation for the nuclear energy industry, both in terms of technological advances and the workforce. A large percentage of nuclear industry employees will be eligible to retire within the next three to five years, driving the need to hire and train highly skilled new employees to replace them—as many as 20,000 workers by 2018. This transition will provide significant opportunities for a new generation of innovators as we make today’s nuclear energy facilities more efficient and design the reactors of the future. 

 

Biography
Maria Korsnick has extensive nuclear energy industry operations and executive experience. She joined the Nuclear Energy Institute in May 2015 as a loaned executive from Exelon and is serving a chief operating officer. Prior to joining NEI, she was the senior vice president of Northeast Operations for Exelon. She was responsible for overseeing day-to-day operation of Exelon’s three nuclear energy facilities in the northeast.

Before joining Exelon, Korsnick served as acting chief executive officer and chief nuclear officer at Constellation Energy Group (CENG). She also held positions of increasing responsibility at the Calvert Cliffs and R.E. Ginna nuclear plants and at CENG’s headquarters in Baltimore, MD.

Audience: Public 

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