Trump Sweetens the Nuclear Energy Pot, But Will Anyone Play?
Last week, the Trump administration announced it is offering $17.5 billion in financingto build five new two-reactor nuclear power plants featuring Westinghouse Electric’s AP1000 large reactor. The offer comes on the heels of last November’s Trump announcement of an $80 billion dealwith Westinghouse intended to jump-start a fleet of new US reactors
There’s a Glaring Safety Problem With Nuclear Energy Startups
Of all the countries harnessing the power of the atom, the United States is perhaps the most privatized nuclear energy system in the world. Most countries treat nuclear fission as a government affair — China runs its reactors through state-owned enterprises, and France went so far as to fully renationalize its main nuclear company in 2023. The States, meanwhile, leave their reactors almost entirely in the hands of the private sector.
Nuclear power is failing, and AI can’t rescue it
Nuclear generation is expensive and slow to develop. Claims that past failures won’t recur have convinced politicians to socialize investments rejected by private capital markets.
A Nuclear Power Parable
Once upon a time in Michigan, there was an aged nuclear power plant called Palisades. Since it started operation in 1971 until it was permanently closed in 2022, it ran about 73% of the time, about three days out of every four. But the old nuclear plant could not financially compete against renewables, and after its electric subsidy from Michigan expired in 2022, Palisades was closed and sold for scrap metal.
PG&E is charging ratepayers $723 million to keep Diablo Canyon open. Should it?
Two anti-nuclear groups are fighting PG&E’s plan to charge ratepayers $723 million for the cost of operating the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant past its original closure dates.
Roadmaps to Situational Awareness
Like the proverbial frogs cozily immersed in the comfy warm liquid of daily existence in our seemingly stable world system, we are dangerously unaware of the gathering perils that are rapidly being brought into operation around us.
Renuclearization or Denuclearization?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “Denuclearize is a transitive verb meaning: to remove nuclear arms from [or] prohibit the use of nuclear arms in. We don’t know who made the word a part of Mr. Trump’s vocabulary, but we’re glad it popped out of his mouth in his speech to the Davosians at the recent WEF 25 meeting…
Why New Large and Small Nuclear Reactors are Not Green
Despite their considerable allure in the eyes of many, and despite being put forth as the cure to the energy crisis, nuclear reactors are not green.
Air pollution, global warming, and energy security are three of the biggest problems facing the world. Many have suggested that new nuclear reactors can help solve these problems. However, due to the long time from planning to operation alone, new reactors are useless for solving any of these problems. This is just one of seven issues with nuclear electricity that illustrate why it can’t be classified as “green.” Developing more clean, renewable energy is a viable solution.