I am reading "The Renaissance of Nuclear Energy in the U.S."
by Joe F. Colvin. It was published in the July/August, 2002
issue of "The Nuclear Engineer," the trade journal of nuclear
engineers in England. The author writes:
... To that end, the U.S. nuclear industry has developed a set
of ambitious and specific goals to carry us forward for the
next two decades. We call this 'vision 20020'.
The centerpiece of our vision is dramatic. Between today and
the year 2020, we plan to add 50,000 MW of new nuclear
generating capacity to the nation's electricity grid, with another
10,000 MW added through upgrading the technology and
improving the efficiency of our current reactors.
Although this is an ambitious goal, 50,000 MW of new
nuclear capacity, combined with anticipated capacity factor
and efficiency gains, is simply what it will take for the U.S.
to retain the 30% share of all emission-free generation that
exists today. [Figure 7 shows that the energy demand will
increase from 393,000 MW to 564,000 MW in 2020]
Energy and the environmental policy are becoming
inextricably linked in the United States. And if we want to
increase our share of non-emitting electrical generation
beyond of 30%, nuclear energy must be the central
component of the strategy along with complimentary
energy sources such as renewables and hydropower. ...