It isn’t often we hear good news from the Hanford, but the U.S. Department of Energy recently announced the nation’s first commercial advanced nuclear power reactor would be developed on the massive federal reservation north of Richland, Washington.

Hanford scientists have a new mission to develop smaller and safer nuclear reactors that will replace conventional nuclear power plants.

“Their smaller size and ability to quickly ramp up and down makes them a perfect complement to intermittent renewable resources, such as wind and solar, that rely on weather conditions to generate,” the Tri-City Herald reported.

If Washington is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal and natural gas power plants substantially, it will need nuclear. Currently, our country’s nuclear plants provide 55% of the carbon-free electricity, while hydro, wind, solar, and geothermal account for the rest.

While wind and solar are ramping up nationally, Texans learned what life was like under a grid that depends too heavily on renewables. “An electricity grid that relies on renewables also needs nuclear or coal power,” the Wall Street Journal editorialized.

In early February, Texas, the nation’s leading wind energy producer, was hit with a historic blast of frigid temperatures. Wind turbines froze and wind’s share of the state’s electricity fell from 42% to 8% Feb. 7-11, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Suddenly, many Texans not only lost electricity, but natural gas demand soared beyond supplies. Coal-powered plants, which are required to a keep 90-day coal supply on hand, stepped in to fill the gap.

Even with fossil fuel plants running all out, Texas utilities implemented a series of mandatory short power outages to keep the system from total collapse.

The lesson is wind and solar need backup from reliable sources that generate electricity consistently. If the emphasis is on carbon-free emissions, nuclear has to be part of the equation.

New advanced nuclear power is needed. Older nuclear plants, such as the Columbia Generating Station, on the Hanford Reservation, near Richland, will be retired in coming decades. The Columbia station, which has operated since 1984, produces 1,207 megawatts, enough electricity to power a city the size of Seattle and its suburbs.

Wind projects are expansive and getting harder to build. For example, Scout Clean Energy is proposing a 112-square-mile clean energy production site located south and west of the Tri-Cities. Scout’s wind turbines would stretch along the Horse Heaven Hills.

The visual impact and height of the wind turbines have raised objections as 150 of the 244 turbines would be up to 670 feet tall, which is higher than Seattle’s Space Needle. According to reports in the Tri-City Herald, the site would generate electricity only 30% of the time, whereas similar sites in the Midwest generate power half the time.

Hanford is the ideal location for the testing of advanced nuclear. It has a reservoir of talented people and is surrounded by a concentration of operating solar, wind, hydro, natural gas, and nuclear power production facilities. Thankfully, the federal government is funding advanced nuclear, and partnerships are forming for research and development.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer, and retired president of the Association of Washington Business. He now lives in Vancouver, Washington, and can be contacted at [email protected].