A Nuclear Power Parable
James Heddle James Heddle

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.

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Small nuclear reactors are no fix for California’s energy needs
James Heddle James Heddle

Small nuclear reactors are no fix for California’s energy needs

On Monday, the Natural Resources Committee of the California Assembly will consider a bill to repeal a longstanding moratorium on nuclear plants in the state, which was meant to be in place until there is a sustainable plan for what to do with radioactive waste. Defeated multiple times in the past, this bill would carve out an exception for small modular reactors, or SMRs, the current pipe dream of nuclear advocates.

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Nuclear Power Is a Dead End. We Must Abandon It Completely.
James Heddle James Heddle

Nuclear Power Is a Dead End. We Must Abandon It Completely.

Amid a confluence of crises—the Ukraine war, an energy crisis, and climate breakdown—nuclear energy is experiencing a renaissance, at least in the rhetoric of politicians and pundits across Europe, North America, and beyond. After all, it’s tempting to propose these generators of low-carbon energy as a panacea to this daunting phalanx of calamities

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France and Switzerland shut down nuclear power plants amid scorching heatwave
James Heddle James Heddle

France and Switzerland shut down nuclear power plants amid scorching heatwave

Due to a scorching heatwave which has spread across Europe in recent days, a number of nuclear power plants in Switzerland and France have been forced to either reduce activity or shut down completely as extreme temperatures have prevented sites from relying on water from local rivers.

To cool down, nuclear power plants pump water from local rivers or the sea, which they then release back into water bodies at a higher temperature.

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