When Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed S-3870/A-4528 into law this morning with the main tower at the PSEG Salem Generating Station in Alloway Township serving as a backdrop, it was more than just helping to modernize permitting review requirements for nuclear energy facilities — and more than just a first step in helping New Jersey find ways to add to the energy generation it desperately needs.
Sherrill’s signature was about giving New Jersey a chance to be a national leader in a clean energy process that has suddenly soared to the top of wish-list solutions for energy-generation-chasing officials everywhere.
The governor, who made solving the state’s energy issues and doing so in an affordable way a hallmark of her campaign, explained her vision to a group of a few hundred elected officials, energy executives and business leaders who made the journey to Salem County.
“Across America, a nuclear renaissance is taking shape with new plants, new partnerships, new funding and new opportunities,” she said. “New Jersey is uniquely positioned to lead. We have the infrastructure, we have the workforce, the innovators, the experience — we know how to do this.
“The potential benefits are huge. Safe nuclear can produce clean, stable power at a predictable cost, protected from global prices and it can help to keep both costs and emissions down as we grow.”
To be clear, the law doesn’t change the amount of energy that can be generated overnight — but it does remove a key permitting hurdle that has created a de facto moratorium on new nuclear power for decades.
And it does signal a willingness to update outdated rules and regulations wherever she finds them (Sherrill noted the current rules, written a generation ago, include reference to technology that no longer applies).
The signing, in the same complex that once housed the now-shuttered New Jersey Wind Port, also showed which energy sources her administration is pushing.
Nuclear energy produced at this site, she noted, already provides nearly half of all electricity produced in the state, enough to power 3 million homes from just this location.
Sherrill noted it fits into her all-in approach to solving the state’s energy generation challenge.
“My administration approved six new solar projects, a record pace, we’re modernizing our state’s natural gas plants and we’re exploring the opportunities that new nuclear sites bring, because — if we’re truly going to meet all of our energy needs — we need an all-of-the-above approach to energy,” she said.
Supporting nuclear — and encouraging more of a commitment to it — certainly was welcomed by the union leaders and business leaders in attendance.
Recognizing that the state has a unique opportunity to become a hub for nuclear innovation, PSEG applauded the governor for taking steps in that direction.
Adam Neuman, the business manager from IBEW Local 94, the union that has more than 600 members working at the facility, was thrilled by what the day represents.
“Over the years, I’ve seen that New Jersey was getting used to the status quo, so what a breath of fresh air Gov. Sherrill has been,” he said. “She has leaned into being a change agent for what would have going on inside of New Jersey in the energy industry. She has the courage to change things, and this today is one of the first steps towards that.”
PSEG Chair and CEO Ralph LaRossa credited Sherrill’s vision, saying it is what’s needed to bring down energy prices in New Jersey.
“PSEG stands ready, willing and able to help,” he said.
Christina Renna, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, agreed.
“Our nuclear facilities deliver safe, reliable, high-capacity and carbon-free energy at a time when New Jersey faces a growing gap between electricity supply and demand,” she said. “As our state works to lower utility costs and strengthen energy independence, nuclear power must be a central part of that solution.
“By removing outdated regulatory barriers, this legislation creates the conditions necessary for responsible nuclear expansion, adding the desperately needed energy generation capacity our grid requires while continuing to support one of South Jersey’s most vital industries.”
Unreasonable safety concerns, a reason why nuclear has not always been embraced, were addressed by Sherrill.
“This bill requires projects to use safe cutting-edge storage methods instead methods that have been used for use 1000s of times in over 35 states for the last 40 years with a 100% safety record — and they will be accompanied by the strictest oversight,” she said.
“We know nuclear has a strong safety record. It’s the most regulated industry on Earth, with meticulous training, monitoring and security. Modern plants are designed to be fail safe, and these two stations here are rated among the safest and best run in America. This bill recognizes that it helps us innovate responsibly. It’s common sense and it’s bipartisan.”
And most of all, it’s good for future generation in a world with an appetite that continues to grow.
“Nuclear accounts for nearly half of the power we generate here, but it’s over 80% of our clean carbon, free power,” Sherrill said. “New nuclear will improve, or at least keep that ratio steady, especially in a tech driven future where energy demand will only continue to soar.”
