Department of Energy study finds replacing coal with nuclear would increase high-paying jobs

A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has found that replacing retiring coal plants with the same amount of nuclear capacity would increase the number of high-paying jobs in local communities.

The study and information guide found that “transitioning from a coal plant to a nuclear one would create additional higher paying jobs at the plant, create hundreds of additional jobs locally and spur millions of dollars in increased revenues and economic activity in the host community,” DOE said in a news release.

This reality is not lost upon communities like Becker, Minnesota, who are set to lose hundreds of high-paying jobs due to Xcel Energy’s foolish decision to prematurely retire the coal-fired power generators at the Sherburne County (Sherco) Generating Station.

Many of the locals I’ve talked to in Becker would welcome a new nuclear plant to replace the retired coal facilities because, unlike the swarms of solar panels Xcel Energy is building, a nuclear plant would provide permanent tax revenue and high-paying jobs for the community.

The key reasons the locals I spoke to prefer nuclear is because the power is reliable, it takes less land than solar panels, and the jobs at nuclear plants are far more permanent than jobs in the wind and solar industry, most of which are associated with the installation of these energy resources.

It is encouraging to see the Biden Administration is finally starting to see the light on nuclear, which is something we at American Experiment have been promoting since 2018. Better late than never, I guess.