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The fall and rise of nuclear power

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The United States has allowed itself to fall behind in nuclear power technology and market development, writes author and thorium expert Robert Hargraves. Regulations have unnecessarily driven up costs of nuclear power and scared the public. According to Hargraves, to revive the nuclear sector, the first steps that needs to be taken are to fight historical fear-creating radiation regulations with science, and to replace the federal regulator, the … [Read more...]

The woman who is building a nuclear power plant

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Minna Forsström is responsible for a unique project: the first Russian-made nuclear power plant to be built in the E.U. outside of the former Soviet Union. In a personal interview with Energy Post, she reveals how her company, Fennovoima, has coped with extremely demanding regulatory challenges (“you can’t expect to submit a project and have it approved all in one go”), why they chose to work with Rosatom (“they have huge engineering capacity and … [Read more...]

Some irony: Trump’s Paris exit will hurt nuclear and coal power

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Ironically, Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement will hurt two sectors that his administration would like to protect: the nuclear and the coal power industry, writes Washington DC-based energy author Dennis Wamsted. This is because without a Federal climate policy, neither nuclear power nor carbon capture and storage (CCS) will get the support they need. … [Read more...]

Pitting wind and solar against nuclear power

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With US electricity demand stalled, expanding wind and solar power is increasing the economic pressure on equally low-emission nuclear power, writes Geoffrey Styles, Managing Director of independent US-based consultancy GSW Strategy Group. He notes that the beneficiaries of renewable energy subsidies resist new state incentives for nuclear plants. But according to Styles, wind and solar should not come at the expense of nuclear power, as all are … [Read more...]

Nuclear energy does not cost the earth

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Those who claim nuclear is dead, at least for Europe, because of its high costs and lack of public support are wrong, writes Tim Yeo, Chairman of the pro-nuclear group New Nuclear Watch Europe (NNWE). Despite recent financial troubles besetting certain parties in the nuclear sector, there are competitive vendors and competitive projects out there. Key for European countries considering building new nuclear plants is to choose the right … [Read more...]

The battle for the future of nuclear energy

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Nuclear is facing a desperate situation: the world could lose up to two times more nuclear than it gains by 2030, writes Michael Shellenberger, founder and president of the pro-nuclear citizens movement Environmental Progress (EP). According to Shellenberger, the nuclear crisis is caused purely by cultural, ideological and political factors. There are no technological and economic barriers to expanding nuclear power: existing designs are safe and … [Read more...]

Six years after Fukushima, much of Japan has lost faith in nuclear power

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The Japanese government should consider a fundamental change in its current nuclear energy policy if it wants to recover the public's trust in nuclear power, writes Tatsujiro Suzuki, Director of the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University. According to Suzuki, staying on the current path will undermine Japan's economic and political security. Courtesy of The Conversation. … [Read more...]