It’s time to go nuclear in Arizona | Opinion

Both the Biden administration and the new Trump administration have promoted nuclear power. And popular sentiment has turned pro-nuclear.

Phoenix just hit a record-breaking 118 degrees, and energy demand soared statewide.

Yet Arizona’s utilities kept the power on. That’s an underappreciated feat.  And one that hasn’t been consistently accomplished by states like California and Texas.

But that success masks a deeper challenge: Arizona’s energy demand isn’t just rising — it’s accelerating. The Common Sense Institute projects Arizona’s electricity use will grow 60% over the next 30 years.

Without increasing energy supply, increased energy demand will translate to higher prices.

And indeed, that’s what’s happening. Arizona’s three largest utilities (APS, SRP and TEP) are raising or preparing to raise rates. 

It’s tempting to blame the utilities or the Arizona Corporation Commission (both of whom are popular punching bags), but we simply need more power.

Natural gas and solar can’t produce enough power

Natural gas currently fuels nearly half of Arizona’s power demand.  

There are numerous projects underway to supplement natural gas energy with wind energy and solar energy. That’s great. But those projects have yet to produce city-powering magnitudes of power. 

Fortunately, there’s an already proven, large, reliable, stable power source that we should increase: nuclear.

Arizona is already a nuclear success story. For nearly 40 years, the Palo Verde Generating Station has operated 24/7, rain or shine. 

Palo Verde can power millions of homes, meaning its energy output dwarfs Arizona’s largest solar projects.

Palo Verde has run safely for decades. Zero fatalities. Zero major incidents. 

Nuclear power is safe, reliable and less expensive

Thanks to Chernobyl and “The Simpsons,” people have long worried about radiation exposure from nuclear generators.

But living within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant exposes you to less radiation than does a cross-country flight or an x-ray at the dentist’s office.

And the waste? It’s a common concern, but all the nuclear waste ever produced in the U.S. could fit on a single football field, stacked about 10 yards high. It’s highly regulated and safely stored.

The atoms have aligned to make this the time for Arizona to invest in nuclear power.

Opinion: Arizona needs loads more power to power TSMC

Recent technological advances — such as the one by NuScale Power — have made it faster, safer, and far less expensive to bring new generating stations online.  

Both the Biden administration and the new Trump administration have promoted nuclear power by streamlining the approval process at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and funding American-made small modular nuclear reactors.

And popular sentiment has turned pro-nuclear. Pew Research Center ran a poll in June and found that about 60% of Americans support “more nuclear power plants to generate electricity.”

Arizona is growing. It needs more power

Arizona is booming. TSMC, Intel and LG are investing billions in high-tech facilities. Corporations announce moves to Arizona every month.  

We are the 14th biggest state by population. And we have been one of the fastest growing states every year since rebounding from the 2008 market crash. 

This all means that Arizonans will have more job opportunities, more dollars for education, more cultural opportunities and more Diamondbacks fans (I can’t stand it when the Dodgers or Cubs fill our ballpark).

But it also means we will use more power.  

Every person in Arizona uses power. Every person in Arizona pays for power. And for many Arizonans, the price of power is a significant factor in what they can and cannot afford every year.

We need to meet Arizona’s growing demand.

We need more power.

It’s time to go nuclear.

Stephen Richer is a former Maricopa County recorder.  He is now the CEO of Republic Affairs, where Josh Heywood is Operations Manager. Follow Richer on X: @stephen_richer.

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