Southeast Energy Policy Forum Brings in Policymakers, Academics, and Private Industry to Discuss New Energy Markets
Knoxville, TN – Over one hundred policymakers, academics, and private industry experts gathered for the second annual Southeast Energy Policy Forum presented by the Center for Energy, Transportation and Environmental Policy (CETEP) at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (Baker School) on August 14 and 15. Former Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman and U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann highlighted the agenda with remarks addressing the importance of the “new nuclear” energy industry and Tennessee’s exceptional position to advance it.
The annual forum is unique for its focus on energy policy rather than the specifics of technology. This policy-focused discussion highlighted the additional steps needed to fully unlock the benefits of recent federal clean energy legislation; the critical role of public-private partnerships for clean energy rollout, and the often-overlooked national security dimension of energy policy.
Keynote speaker Daniel Poneman emphasized the importance of public/private collaboration to make a successful shift to cleaner energy sources. Poneman was U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy from 2009 to 2014 and later president/CEO of Centrus Energy Corporation, a supplier of nuclear fuel and services for the nuclear power industry. A subsequent panel of government agency officials and business stakeholders discussed the successes and challenges of the public-private partnerships that have been spurred by recent federal clean energy legislation.
Expanding the use of nuclear energy could be key in addressing climate change, Poneman said, but it requires the U.S. to produce more low-enriched uranium. He pointed to the 2023 Nuclear Policy Fuel Act, which includes programs to promote increased production of low-enriched uranium and was passed with bipartisan support.
The U.S. also needs to restore its leadership in the nuclear field on the international stage, Poneman said. One way to encourage usage of nuclear energy without inadvertently promoting proliferation of nuclear weapons is for the U.S. to be the holder of the technology, he said. Tennessee is uniquely positioned to be part of solving these challenges, Poneman said, given the proximity of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee and the nuclear industries located in East Tennessee.
U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, who described himself to the crowd as “the nuclear congressman,” agreed that Tennessee’s success in attracting new nuclear investment has grown from research at UT and ORNL and the leadership of TVA. He also echoed Poneman’s comments on the bipartisan agreement in the House, Senate, and Executive branches in support of new nuclear technology and increased production of enriched uranium for domestic use.
Dependable federal investment is key to establishing new nuclear reactor technology in the U.S., Fleischmann said in response to questions from the audience. The upcoming Energy and Water bill, which Fleischmann wrote as chair of the subcommittee, includes funds supporting the upcoming Generation 3 and 4 advanced reactors. The U.S. needs to create an American market for building and operating reactors, he said, but the public sector must support the cost of the first reactors.
Fleischmann fielded questions from the audience and Baker School Dean Marianne Wanamaker, including one from a first-year UT engineering student about how the U.S. can regain its role as top producer of enriched uranium. He closed his remarks with reference to the value of universities in promoting informed public discussion of nuclear policy, by making younger generations better informed about the safety and mechanics of nuclear power.