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     Energy Northwest is a public agency that owns and operate the single nuclear power reactor in Washington State called the Columbia Generating Station near Richland on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. This reactor produces electricity for one and a half million customers including some in Seattle. In total, Energy Northwest is suppling power to twenty-seven public power utilities in Washington. The Columbia Generating Station is the third largest producer of electricity in the Northwest. It has a gross output of about one thousand two hundred megawatts.
     Energy Northwest is now considering whether or not there would be interest in the construction of a small modular reactor (SMR) at the Station. The company spent two million dollars to study the feasibility of adding a SMR to the Station. Their study analyzed the probable demand for electricity in the Northwest in the future and possible sources.
    Greg Cullen is Energy Northwest’s general manager of energy services and development. He said, “We want to make sure that the utilities agree there is a need for this (and) that the politicians and the public believe this is something they want, because they care enough about the climate and carbon that they want this as a solution.” He added that they are just beginning discussions with officials and the public about interest in constructing an SMR at Hanford. Cullen stressed that Energy Northwest is going to review all viable options to provide for future energy demands. They will be looking at renewables as well as SMRs.
      Energy Northwest’s interest in SMRs is connected to the passage of the Clean Energy Transformation Act by the Washington Legislature. The Act sets standards for one hundred percent carbon-free electricity generation in Washington by 2045. The Act mandates the end of coal for power generation by 2025 and the end of natural gas generation for power by 2045.
      Brad Sawatzke is Energy Northwest’s chief executive officer. He said, “That’s an ambitious and worthwhile goal, so we have to start planning today to ensure the people of Washington state have the right mix of energy sources tomorrow.” Cullen pointed out that both coal and natural gas have the advantage of being “firm” or able to be turned on or off as needed as opposed to the intermittent nature of renewables. SMRs share this capability.
     Energy Northwest contracted Energy + Environmental Economics, a San Francisco-based consulting group, to conduct the study into providing deep reductions in the carbon emissions in the Pacific Northwest while maintaining reliable and economical power generation. Energy Northwest is especially interested in how nuclear power would fit into the new carbon free power generation portfolio mandated by the Act because of their experience in running the only nuclear power plant in Washington.
     The commissioned study concluded that emission of carbon from power generation could be accomplished at a reasonable cost if there was enough on-demand capacity available. Energy Northwest has publicly discussed the idea of applying to extend the current license for the Columbia Generating Station. That license will expire in 2043 just before the deadline of 2045 in the Act. 
    The study said that it would cost one billion three hundred and fifty million dollars less a year than renewables and batteries to provide needed electricity after 2043. SMRs could also function as backup for renewables reducing the cost of producing electricity.