Are zero emission credits the right rationale for saving economically challenged U.S. nuclear plants?

Abstract

The economic viability of many U.S. nuclear plants has been deteriorating rapidly since 2010. To save in-state, zero-emission baseload generation, several states have passed zero-emission credits to subsidize their economically challenged plants. Our power market dispatch modeling, however, suggests that keeping nuclear plants online does not necessarily mean a reduction in carbon emissions within the region or state, as the amount of regional emissions also depends on grid characteristics and the evolution of the generation fuel mix.