Being from New Hampshire, I’m used to frigid winters, but the recent “bomb cyclone” and sustained cold snap felt by much of the East Coast was like nothing I’ve experienced in recent memory. I, like so many others in my community, am glad that my lights and heat stayed on throughout the storm.

Extreme weather events like this sustained cold spell strain our energy grid. This is due in part to increased electricity usage by consumers, but also because difficult weather conditions can disrupt the fuel supply of many power sources. This is why nuclear energy is so important. Nuclear plants have their fuel on-site and they provide a steady supply of always-on, reliable baseload power. They are built to safely operate even in extreme weather. So even with the wind, below-freezing temperatures and snow, nuclear facilities are able to continue generating power.

Case in point, the country’s nuclear fleet operated between 98 percent and 100 percent efficiency during this recent record-breaking winter weather.

In fact, on Jan. 5, PJM Interconnection, the wholesale electricity market operating in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest reported one of the highest wintertime peak demands for electricity ever witnessed. Due in part to the reliability of nuclear energy, PJM could meet this demand and the low price of nuclear helped soften the sharp spikes in energy prices.