Nuclear plants are a highly reliable, clean, and low-cost source of energy. These plants play an important role in the country’s energy industry. While many people recognize that they are a pivotal aspect of the energy sector, few people realize the importance of the role they play in the communities where they are located.
Low Cost Source of Energy
Power plants provide communities with reliable and low-cost energy, which impacts businesses and households alike. Affordable energy is helpful for everyone. For example, by generating low cost energy, reactors can keep retail prices lower for customers than the average for the rest of the country. Lower prices give residents more money to invest back into the community.
Power plants can also help generate more tax dollars at the local level. The money can be used to invest back in schools and other institutions, as well as the roads and other local infrastructure.
High Rate of Reliability
Nuclear power plants are one of the most reliable sources of power, which plays an important role in peoples’ lives. For example, during the 2014 winter, the United States saw record-breaking cold temperatures. During this time, natural gas prices reached record highs and other sources of electricity were forced off the grid. Nuclear power plants remained reliable. Despite the cold temperatures, they still operated at an average of 96 percent capacity. People in communities around nuclear power plants benefit greatly from safe and reliable energy.
The price of nuclear energy tends to be more stable than the ever-fluctuating price of fossil fuels. People can count on the prices of nuclear energy to remain the same, no matter what the conditions.
Increase in Jobs
Power plants are also a great source of stable employment. Most also offer higher-than-average salaries. The average nuclear plant needs a workforce of 450-700 employees. Each plant will also need an additional 250-600 temporary workers for other tasks such as refueling. The construction of a nuclear power plant also creates jobs. The construction of each plant could create an additional 3,500 jobs.
Nuclear power plants don’t just provide communities with energy. Power plants are economic multipliers that directly employ people from the community and help generate additional jobs indirectly. Both businesses and households benefit from the lower cost of electricity.