RD18 - Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority 2014 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
Charge and Responsibilities – In 2013, the General Assembly created the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority (Authority) as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth for the purpose of:

• Making Virginia a national and global leader in nuclear energy, science and technology;

• Serving as an interdisciplinary study, research and information resource for nuclear energy in Virginia; and

• Establishing the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium (Consortium), a non-stock corporation responsible for conducting activities to achieve these goals.

Enclosed is the Authority’s 2014 Annual Report, which details its strategic plan, activities over the last year and recommendations to advance nuclear energy in Virginia.

Authority Activities – In addition to adopting bylaws and electing officers in December 2013, during its first year the Authority has worked aggressively to:

• Set goals and define responsibilities for the Authority and the Consortium;

• Recruit Founding Members to establish the Consortium, securing commitments from nine companies and higher education institutions;

• Produce an inventory of nuclear education and industry assets in Virginia, illustrating that the nuclear sector is driving Virginia’s economy in every region, with high skilled jobs, research and technology development and generation of revenue at both the state and local level; and

• Provide technical support and policy recommendations to the development of the Virginia Energy Plan.

Recommendations to Advance Nuclear Energy in Virginia – The Authority offers the following priorities to policy makers to support and advance nuclear energy in Virginia:

• The EPA’s Clean Power Plan allows for only 5.8% of a state’s zero-carbon emitting nuclear generation to count toward compliance goals. The Authority supports Governor McAuliffe, Dominion, AREVA and other efforts to urge the EPA to value Virginia’s nuclear generation equitably to other non-emitting generation resources in the CPP.

• Virginia’s energy policy should view nuclear assets in light of their capacity to deliver reliable, baseload power and source diversity for a general portfolio that achieves the emission reductions required by pending federal regulations; and

• Recognize and support the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority efforts to make the Commonwealth a national and global leader in nuclear energy, science and technology.