How should we manage nuclear energy?
7 years, 9 months ago

How should we manage nuclear energy?

BBC  

How should we manage nuclear energy? “If you asked in Hawaii whether they want a nuclear plant, they would say, ‘Absolutely not, not anywhere near’.” Getty Images Over 800 protesters, including some Fukushima refugees, denounced nuclear energy at this demonstration in Tokyo in March 2016 It is a far cry from the hype of the 1950s, when promotional films about nuclear power told people that it might provide a practically endless energy supply. The Swiss recently voted to ban nuclear power plants and invest in renewable energy instead – a sign that in some markets at least, renewables are winning over the public. In the US for example, it was recently reported that the energy cost per kilowatt hour from a new nuclear power plant is 2 cents higher than that from a new natural gas plant. A nuclear power plant lasts much longer than many renewable energy assets like wind turbines.

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History of this topic

US energy secretary touts nuclear power as tech sector’s thirst for electricity grows
1 month ago

US energy secretary touts nuclear power as tech sector’s thirst for electricity grows

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says it’s critical that the nation be out in front when it comes to artificial intelligence, and that means having reliable and affordable sources of electricity to meet the growing demands of the technology sector. Federal energy analysts say the U.S. has generated more nuclear electricity than any other country and that …

UN nuclear chief arrives in Japan to inspect Fukushima soil storage
1 month, 1 week ago

UN nuclear chief arrives in Japan to inspect Fukushima soil storage

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rafael Grossi, the head of …

Why Atomic Power Fails as a Climate Solution – Data, Costs, and Industry Myths Debunked
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Why Atomic Power Fails as a Climate Solution – Data, Costs, and Industry Myths Debunked

The Hindu  

Published : Jan 31, 2025 21:32 IST - 8 MINS READ Thirteen years after his path-breaking book The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India comes Professor M.V. Ramana shows the historical underperformance of nuclear energy, including power projection targets that were widely off the mark, chronic cost and time overruns as well as overriding safety issues. Ramana writes: …

Letters to the Editor: Nuclear power’s promise: Live well now, poison humanity in the future
4 months ago

Letters to the Editor: Nuclear power’s promise: Live well now, poison humanity in the future

LA Times  

Pacific Gas and Electric’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the only operating nuclear plant in California, is seen in Avila Beach in 2023. To the editor: To paraphrase a popular aphorism about men and therapy, it appears that young people would rather risk destroying entire landscapes with nuclear waste than have less electricity to power the internet. I would recommend that …

Amazon, Ken Griffin Invest In Nuclear Power
5 months, 1 week ago

Amazon, Ken Griffin Invest In Nuclear Power

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Nearly a month after Microsoft bet $16 billion on reviving the defunct Three Mile Island nuclear plant to power its energy-hungry data centers, Google and now Amazon are inking massive deals to finance the United States’ ambitious atomic revival plans. Amazon has similarly big plans to scale its latest green gamble, promising to build 5 gigawatts ― …

Is nuclear energy the key to a sustainable future?
6 months ago

Is nuclear energy the key to a sustainable future?

Hindustan Times  

The world faces an urgent energy challenge: how to meet rising global demand while combating climate change. As countries strive to decarbonise their economies, nuclear energy, once clouded by safety concerns and public skepticism, is making a comeback as a potential solution. For comparison, coal produces 820 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour, natural gas emits 490 gCO2 per kWh, while …

Can nuclear power help mitigate the climate crises?
6 months ago

Can nuclear power help mitigate the climate crises?

Hindustan Times  

Nuclear power has always been viewed with suspicion owing to the devastating military usages it has had. The Fukushima nuclear accident of 2011 further pushed global narratives against the usage and accumulation of nuclear power, even if it is for civilian purposes. The capacity of nuclear energy to ensure our energy independence and to guarantee the production of low carbon …

What is nuclear energy and how does it work?
8 months, 3 weeks ago

What is nuclear energy and how does it work?

ABC  

In June, the Coalition released the locations and timelines of proposed nuclear power plant sites, as part of its telegraphed stance on moving Australia towards nuclear as an energy source. "The heat to drive a nuclear power station comes from breaking up uranium atoms in the core of the reactor … then that hot nuclear fuel is used to boil …

Security and climate change drive a return to nuclear energy as over 30 nations sign summit pledge
1 year ago

Security and climate change drive a return to nuclear energy as over 30 nations sign summit pledge

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — In the shadow of a massive monument glorifying nuclear power, over 30 nations from around the world pledged to use the controversial energy source to help achieve a climate-neutral globe while providing countries with an added sense of strategic security. “We have to do everything possible to facilitate the contribution of nuclear energy,” said Rafael Grossi, the head …

Nuclear energy's six biggest myths busted as Australia seriously considers making the change - and why coal isn't necessarily the safe option
1 year ago

Nuclear energy's six biggest myths busted as Australia seriously considers making the change - and why coal isn't necessarily the safe option

Daily Mail  

The fear of a scare campaign against nuclear energy has prompted one Coalition MP to debunk some myths about nuclear reactors - and warn even coal plants can be potentially dangerous. The prospect of a nuclear energy scare campaign has prompted a Coalition MP to debunk some myths about nuclear reactors and point out coal plants are also potentially dangerous …

Is nuclear power a fix for climate change? Experts think it's too dangerous
1 year ago

Is nuclear power a fix for climate change? Experts think it's too dangerous

Salon  

As the climate crisis grows worse every year, alternative energy options are increasingly important. Some climate activists "promote nuclear power as a possibility to battle climate change," said Nikolaus Muellner, a professor of safety and risk sciences at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. "If one evaluates nuclear energy as a way to deal with climate …

UN nuclear chief says nuclear energy must be part of the equation to tackle climate change
1 year, 4 months ago

UN nuclear chief says nuclear energy must be part of the equation to tackle climate change

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Nuclear energy must be part of the equation to tackle climate change, the U.N. nuclear chief said Wednesday. Over a quarter of the electricity from nuclear power is low-carbon electricity and global carbon dioxide emissions would be considerably higher without nuclear power, Grossi said. And in Africa, where electricity capacity is set to grow fivefold by 2050, …

Granderson: Nuclear power could save our air quality. At what cost to the water?
1 year, 6 months ago

Granderson: Nuclear power could save our air quality. At what cost to the water?

LA Times  

You know it was a remarkable week when dumping tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean wasn’t even the lead story. That’s right: While much of the globe’s attention was on the former American president’s legal battles and the mug shot seen around the world, Japan started its 30-year plan to release the diluted yet still contaminated water that …

We abandoned nuclear power. Now, Earth is paying the price
1 year, 10 months ago

We abandoned nuclear power. Now, Earth is paying the price

Salon  

It's just after sunrise, and I'm leaning against the railings of Memorial Drive, which snakes along the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Later that same day, MIT's professor of nuclear science, Jacopo Buongiorno tells me, "If we'd stayed on that track" — meaning the track of nuclear energy — "the US now might have 1,000 nuclear plants instead of 100, …

Hopes and costs are high for UK's nuclear energy future
2 years, 4 months ago

Hopes and costs are high for UK's nuclear energy future

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. These massive overruns have “certainly given people a cause …

Why nuclear power won’t solve the fuel crisis
2 years, 11 months ago

Why nuclear power won’t solve the fuel crisis

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The global …

Biden launches $6B effort to save distressed nuclear plants
2 years, 11 months ago

Biden launches $6B effort to save distressed nuclear plants

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is launching a $6 billion effort to rescue nuclear power plants at risk of closing, citing the need to continue nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of power that helps to combat climate change. A certification and bidding process opened Tuesday for a civil nuclear credit program that is intended to bail out financially distressed …

The government’s energy strategy leaves key questions unanswered
2 years, 11 months ago

The government’s energy strategy leaves key questions unanswered

The Independent  

There is one thing that can fairly be said about the government’s energy strategy: that it will not reduce a single gas or electricity bill for many years to come. There are other ambitious plans, too: vast offshore wind farms; green hydrogen for fuel; and renewed investment in North Sea oil and gas as a stopgap to help deal with …

What is nuclear energy?
2 years, 11 months ago

What is nuclear energy?

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Boris Johnson’s government has unveiled its long-delayed new national energy strategy, placing renewed emphasis on …

Shutdown this misguided energy policy
3 years ago

Shutdown this misguided energy policy

The Hindu  

Nuclear technology is hazardous. Given the post-Fukushima global and national trends in the nuclear industry, such a policy seems misguided; nuclear power is neither an economical source of electricity nor a viable route to meeting India’s climate goals. This mirrors a global trend: in 1996, 17.5% of the world’s electricity came from nuclear power plants; by 2020, this figure had …

Race to cut carbon emissions splits U.S. states on nuclear
3 years, 2 months ago

Race to cut carbon emissions splits U.S. states on nuclear

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Tennessee Valley Authority President and CEO Jeff Lyash puts …

The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future
3 years, 2 months ago

The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future

NPR  

The U.S. is divided over whether nuclear power is part of the green energy future Enlarge this image toggle caption Michael Mariant/AP File Photo Michael Mariant/AP File Photo PROVIDENCE, R.I. — As climate change pushes states in the U.S. to dramatically cut their use of fossil fuels, many are coming to the conclusion that solar, wind and other renewable power …

Column: Nuclear energy backers say it’s vital for the fight against global warming. Don’t be so sure
3 years, 2 months ago

Column: Nuclear energy backers say it’s vital for the fight against global warming. Don’t be so sure

LA Times  

No one would have believed this possible only a few years ago, but nuclear energy has been creeping up in public estimation, despite its long record of unfulfilled promise and cataclysmic missteps. World & Nation Column: America’s first ‘21st century nuclear plant’ already has been shut down for repairs When the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar 2 nuclear power plant …

Is nuclear power the way forward to combat the climate crisis?
3 years, 4 months ago

Is nuclear power the way forward to combat the climate crisis?

Al Jazeera  

Nuclear power can go horribly wrong and is notorious for cost overruns, but it is gaining high-profile champions. China – the world’s biggest carbon emitter – is planning to build at least 150 nuclear reactors over the next 15 years, Bloomberg News reported. She recently shared her views with Al Jazeera Digital’s Managing Business Editor Patricia Sabga about nations building …

UN nuclear chief sees atomic energy role in climate fight
3 years, 4 months ago

UN nuclear chief sees atomic energy role in climate fight

Associated Press  

GLASGOW, Scotland — The head of the U.N. nuclear agency says he sees atomic power playing a key role balancing climate concerns and the world’s energy needs. But amid concerns that the world is reducing greenhouse gas emissions too slowly, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he is seeing fresh interest in the …

The draw of space and nuclear technologies
3 years, 7 months ago

The draw of space and nuclear technologies

The Hindu  

Even as billionaire Jeff Bezos was preparing to blast off into space last month, another billionaire, Bill Gates, took an equally momentous decision to launch his own nuclear reactor with an eye on the possibility of exporting fast breeder reactors to power hungry nations. Mr. Gates stressed the importance of nuclear power as the clean energy required to meet the …

Japan’s dilemma: Should it use nuclear to achieve climate goals?
4 years ago

Japan’s dilemma: Should it use nuclear to achieve climate goals?

Al Jazeera  

Japan will have to restart most of the reactors it shut after the 2011 Fukushima disaster to meet its climate obligations and also persuade a safety-conscious public, officials warn. “We had better hurry and rebuild trust in nuclear power,” said Masakazu Toyoda, a member of the 24-strong government panel that’s devising new policies. Meeting the Paris goals alone will need …

Is nuclear power a problem or a solution?
4 years, 8 months ago

Is nuclear power a problem or a solution?

Al Jazeera  

Amid the global climate crisis, environmentalists are divided over the costs and benefits of nuclear energy. We will need it for years to come but their share in the energy mix will decline as renewables, new tech like hydrogen and CO2 capturing technologies, come into play.” Nuclear energy The IEA chief also called for the world to look to nuclear …

To Slow Climate Change, The U.S. Needs To Address Nuclear Power’s Dismal Economics
7 years ago

To Slow Climate Change, The U.S. Needs To Address Nuclear Power’s Dismal Economics

Huff Post  

By Tim Profeta, Duke University / The Conversation In late December 2017, the Georgia Public Service Commission faced a major decision: whether to cancel construction of two nuclear power reactors at Plant Vogtle, near Waynesboro, which had been plagued by delays and escalating costs. If nuclear power is to be part of a U.S. climate change strategy over the next …

Energy efficient: Nuclear fusion can save the world
7 years, 5 months ago

Energy efficient: Nuclear fusion can save the world

Deccan Chronicle  

In 1831, British inventor Michael Faraday found he could excite electrons and generate electrical current by passing a magnet back and forth through a coil of wire. We are still looking for the “holy grail” of energy production, which is nuclear fusion, for a virtually unlimited amount of cheap and clean energy. Man said the same thing in the 1950s …

Nuclear power is set to get a lot safer (and cheaper) – here’s why
7 years, 11 months ago

Nuclear power is set to get a lot safer (and cheaper) – here’s why

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. With more in-built safety systems and a way to reuse old fuel, they are set …

You make me want to nuke: The nuclear option may be the best environmental option too
8 years, 4 months ago

You make me want to nuke: The nuclear option may be the best environmental option too

Salon  

It’s a giant tea kettle — but unlike a cup of Cozy Chamomile, its contents can melt your flesh or deform your body. It is public perception — not scientific risk assessment -- that killed plans for using Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository during Obama’s first presidential term. Some might say it’s too late to put the …

COP21: World must embrace nuclear power to save planet from climate change, claim leading scientists
9 years, 3 months ago

COP21: World must embrace nuclear power to save planet from climate change, claim leading scientists

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The world has no little or no chance of escaping dangerous climate change if political …

US nuclear disaster plans inadequate, says report on Fukushima crisis
10 years, 8 months ago

US nuclear disaster plans inadequate, says report on Fukushima crisis

Firstpost  

US nuclear plants must better prepare for the risk of natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, said a report on lessons learned from Japan’s Fukushima crisis in 2011. Washington: US nuclear plants must better prepare for the risk of natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, said a report on lessons learned from Japan’s Fukushima crisis in 2011. Things …

Are environmentalists rethinking nuclear power?
11 years, 9 months ago

Are environmentalists rethinking nuclear power?

Salon  

Faced with the near-term catastrophe of climate change and the planet-poisoning effects of fossil fuels, is the environmental movement changing its tune on nuclear energy? Perhaps the pithiest form of this argument was made by climate-change activist and author Mark Lynas in an explosive Op-Ed for the Guardian last September: “Without nuclear, the battle against global warming is as good …

End of an illusion
12 years, 11 months ago

End of an illusion

The Hindu  

One year after Fukushima, the world must embrace another energy paradigm based on renewable sources and climate-friendly consumption. Nuclear power now accounts for about 13 per cent of the world's electricity generation, down from 17 per cent at its peak. As a proportion of the world's final energy consumption, nuclear power accounts for just 2 per cent in contrast to …

Ex-AEC chief cautions against scrapping nuclear project
13 years, 6 months ago

Ex-AEC chief cautions against scrapping nuclear project

The Hindu  

Cautioning against keeping “high-investment facilities” idle, the former Atomic Energy Commission chief, M. R. Srinivasan, has sought a vigorous public relations push to counter the “misinformation campaign” against the Kudankulam nuclear project. Noting that there is some amount of misunderstanding in the minds of the people protesting against the project after the Fukushima accident in Japan, he said, “Safety is …

Who to trust on nuclear?
13 years, 11 months ago

Who to trust on nuclear?

The Hindu  

In the continuing disaster at Fukushima, Japan's nuclear safety agency has now raised the crisis level to seven: the highest category of nuclear disaster. In stark contrast to the “measured exit” from nuclear power of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, the chief executive of EDF insists that new U.K. reactors “will have to go ahead” — maybe something to do …

Price of power
13 years, 11 months ago

Price of power

The Hindu  

Japan's centuries-old experience in dealing with natural disasters proves inadequate to help it handle the man-made nuclear crisis. THE magnitude 9.0 earthquake of March 11, the 10-metre-high waves of tsunami that followed, and the aftershocks have left Japan devastated, with thousands dead and radiation from damaged nuclear power plants threatening to endanger more lives. Moreover, the government refused offers of …

Global Warming Sparks New Look at Nuclear Power
17 years, 8 months ago

Global Warming Sparks New Look at Nuclear Power

NPR  

Global Warming Sparks New Look at Nuclear Power Enlarge this image toggle caption Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images Enlarge this image toggle caption Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images Nuclear power is getting another look in the United States because of growing concerns about global warming and the plumes of greenhouse gases pumped into the atmosphere by coal-fired plants. …

Nuclear Now!
20 years, 1 month ago

Nuclear Now!

Wired  

On a cool spring morning a quarter century ago, a place in Pennsylvania called Three Mile Island exploded into the headlines and stopped the US nuclear power industry in its tracks. Burning coal and other fossil fuels is driving climate change, which is blamed for everything from western forest fires and Florida hurricanes to melting polar ice sheets and flooded …

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