In Tuesday’s Editorial section of the Seattle Times, Sid Morrison, Chairman of Energy Northwest’s executive board, talked about the need of nuclear energy to support renewable energy sources in meeting our future electric-energy needs.

Noting that “conservation and renewable-energy sources are an essential and responsible part of the answer to our future energy needs; they just aren’t the whole solution,” he acknowledges “the intermittent nature of wind and solar power is a real problem. On-again/off-again power destabilizes the regional transmission grid through dramatic power swings created by changing weather conditions.”

This is why Morrison calls for full-time baseload power:

Tired attempts to link commercial nuclear power to vastly overblown cost and risk factors and defense wastes are irresponsible. Used commercial nuclear fuel is a valuable commodity that can be recycled, as is the routine in many of the world’s nuclear-energy countries. Approximately 95 percent of the used fuel in every commercial reactor can be recycled safely, thereby reducing dependence on foreign energy sources and minimizing the need for new uranium mines.

He also points out that it will take “multiple sources of power, perhaps all the options available to ensure reliable, affordable, environmentally responsible power is available to grow a vibrant regional economy.”

His whole piece, “Nuclear Power should not be Blindly Dismissed as Part of Total Energy Solution,” is definitely worth a read.

by Jarret Adams

But it is not all about nuclear energy. AREVA also believes in the power of renewables to create significant numbers of green jobs, and we are working to expand our business in this sector.

Specifically, AREVA has partnered with Duke Energy to form ADAGE, which is focused on developing advanced biopower (biomass to electricity) plants in the United States. These facilities too will produce significant numbers of green jobs. Each facility will create 400 jobs during construction and about 100 jobs during operation. The goal of ADAGE is to build 10-12 new plants over the next six years—this means thousands of new jobs to say nothing of the additional green power they will produce.

In February, ADAGE signed a preliminary agreement with Energy Northwest to develop biopower plants in the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon. The goal is to market the facilities to the 24 member companies of Energy Northwest with the hope of building one or more in the four-state region.