New England governors explore nuclear energy expansion

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Governors Phil Scott and Kelly Ayotte on Tuesday joined their four New England counterparts on a bipartisan commitment to further explore nuclear energy.

The agreement is, in part, meant to help strengthen the region’s energy reliability, affordability, and long-term supply, keeping nuclear as an option.

Gov. Phil Scott put his support behind a nuclear energy comeback during his budget address earlier this year.

“I just think it’s part of the answer. It’s carbonless, we need more energy, we have aging facilities, we rely heavily on Canada, and so forth to supply us with energy,” Scott said.

There are only two nuclear energy plants in New England — in Connecticut and New Hampshire — that provide 25% of the region’s electricity, and consumption in New England is expected to increase more than 40% over the next 20 years.