Environment & Energy

Last edited Sun May 12, 2019, 08:45 PM - Edit history (1)

No reason that I heard of that we couldn't with our nukes either, just that we didn't need to or want to, because the minimum total system demand exceeded the total output of our nukes, and they were the cheapest fuel cost resources, so they always ran at full load other than when they were down for refueling or other maintenance.

speaking of the NSP system of Minnesota (now part of Xcel) in 1970s - 1980s. The nukes were Prairie Island and Monticello. I was in system operations for many years providing operational engineering support that included determining what units to run and how much (unit commitment, economic dispatch ... )

EDITED TO ADD 841p ET:

France does a lot of load following with their nuclear -- at one time (in 2004) 88% of their electricity was produced by nuclear.