The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station- the region’s largest carbon-free energy provider announced this week that it will permanently close by the middle of 2019. The 680 megawatt plant produces five percent of New England’s power and eighty-four percent of Massachusetts noncarbon emitting energy.
Entergy, the energy conglomerate that owns Pilgrim, said that with the decreasing price of natural gas, and the reluctance of officials to provide financial incentives for nuclear power plants, they had to close the plant based on economic considerations.
The closure of Pilgrim will adversely affect the entire region by exposing it to volatility in energy prices as well as contributing to the region’s declining energy supply.
Diversifying its energy sources is the only way for New England to stabilize energy prices and ensure it has a sustainable supply robust to economic and environmental factors.
The closure of Pilgrim should remind us that projects like the Northern Pass will increase New England’s energy diversity by bringing reliable, sustainable hydroelectric power to the region.