John Ketchum is CEO of Nextera, the largest builder of electric generation in the US. He has built gas, nuclear, and renewables.
What he’s telling anyone that will listen right now is that, if we want to meet burgeoning US electricity demand, renewables are not just “nice to have”, but actually the ONLY resources available in the near future – and slowing them down will be disastrous for consumers.
The video above should be required viewing for citizens and policy makers in the energy space. Below, in a new Reuters report, Ketchum doubles and triples down.
Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are needed to meet rapidly growing energy demand in the United States amid near-term obstacles to increasing natural gas capacity, NextEra <NEE.N> CEO John Ketchum said on Tuesday.
Competition and high costs to obtain gas turbines, a construction labor shortage, and the costs associated with tariffs mean that it will take at least seven years to get new gas-fired power plants online, Ketchum said at the Politico Energy Summit.
Florida-based NextEra operates solar and wind energy centers, as well as natural gas-powered plants and nuclear plants.
“We need a bridge to get ourselves to 2032 when that gas shows up,” Ketchum said. “And when that gas shows up, it’s going to be three times more expensive than it’s ever been.
“If we take renewables off the table, we are going to have a real power shortage problem in this country.”
The Trump administration opposes renewable energy subsidies and wants to expand production of oil, gas and coal. President Donald Trump has declared an “energy emergency” to spur more fuel and electricity production, in part to meet growing demand for power for data centers and artificial intelligence, which excludes renewable energy.
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Even if the most ambitious Trump administration plans for nuclear power bear fruit, it won’t be nearly enough to feed the growing energy demand.
New Trump executive orders call for 400 megawatts of new nuclear capacity by 2040, a very high bar – but at the same time is cutting staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, needed to speed up permitting. See below.
- The White House wants to deploy 300 GW of net new nuclear capacity by 2050 and have 10 large reactors under construction in the U.S. by 2030 while expanding domestic nuclear fuel supplies, according to an executive order President Trump signed Friday.
- Trump signed three other orders on Friday to accelerate Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews of reactor license applications and reconsider strict NRC radiation limits; expand departments of Energy and Defense roles in nuclear power plant licensing and siting; and speed up deployment of new test reactors.
- Nuclear power advocates hailed the orders as a boon for the industry, but warned that staff cuts at NRC and DOE could slow progress. A representative for the Union of Concerned Scientists said the proposed reforms would make the public less safe.
“Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base” also calls for the DOE Loan Programs Office to prioritize support for construction of new large reactors and 5 GW of power uprates to existing reactors by 2030. It specifically mentions support for “completing construction of nuclear reactors that was prematurely suspended,” signaling possible LPO support for the completion of the two unfinished AP1000 reactors at Santee Cooper’s VC Summer site in South Carolina.
Recent changes at DOE could undermine that goal, Nuclear Innovation Alliance President and CEO Judi Greenwald said in a statement.
“Recent DOE staffing reductions and proposed budget cuts undermine the Department’s efforts and make it harder to implement these executive orders,” Greenwald said. “We urge the Administration and Congress to adequately resource and staff DOE to meet this moment.”
Greenwald said proposed NRC process changes in another executive order, “President Donald J. Trump Directs Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” while well-intentioned, could also prove counterproductive.
“NIA has long thought it is important that NRC improve the efficiency of its activities,” she said. “However …[o]ur assessment is that NRC is already making significant progress on reform in compliance with congressional direction including the 2024 ADVANCE Act. It is in everyone’s interest that this progress continue and not be undermined by staffing cuts or upended by conflicting directives.”
Greenwald added that the “effectiveness, efficiency and independence” of the NRC is essential for public confidence in nuclear power and for ongoing efforts to commercialize and export nuclear technology.
Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, was more blunt in a statement that also criticized the administration’s proposal to involve other federal departments in nuclear reactor siting, licensing and fuel supply.
“The U.S. nuclear industry will fail if safety is not made a priority,” Lyman said. “By fatally compromising the independence and integrity of the NRC, and by encouraging pathways for nuclear deployment that bypass the regulator entirely, the Trump administration is virtually guaranteeing that this country will see a serious accident or other radiological release that will affect the health, safety and livelihoods of millions.”
Setting aside potential safety risks, involving the departments of defense and energy could cause needless confusion for nuclear technology developers, said Atomic Canyon CEO Trey Lauderdale.
“New capabilities for the Department of Defense and DOE to license and oversee projects could actually create additional red tape as companies navigate between three new potential oversight bodies instead of one,” Lauderdale said.
I must say that DOGE is expert in government waste, fraud and abuse.