America’s nuclear option
Image: Plant Vogtle
This week, a utility company in Georgia announced that it has achieved self-sustaining fission in one of its new nuclear reactors. The breakthrough means the reactor, which was constructed as part of a $30+ billion facility near Augusta, Georgia, will be able to start generating enough electricity to power a quarter-million homes and businesses by April or June of this year.
🤔 Why use nuclear energy?... Fission reactors – not to be confused with fusion reactors, which combine atoms instead of splitting them and are still a ways away from being commercially viable – can be used to generate electricity without emitting any carbon dioxide as a by-product.
The idea is that by replacing fossil fuel-based power plants with fission reactors, America could sharply reduce the amount of CO2 that’s emitted by its electricity industry, which collectively accounts for ~30% of all US emissions.
🔀 On the flip side: Critics of nuclear fission cite a range of downsides, including extremely high building and operating costs (sometimes more than 15x original forecasts), as well as challenges in the disposal of radioactive waste.
- Plus there’s also the potential for nuclear meltdowns like those that occurred at Fukushima, Three Mile Island, or Chernobyl, where the surrounding area was rendered uninhabitable for years due to radioactivity.
📸 Big picture: Nuclear fission reactors have provided around 20% of America’s electricity needs every year dating back to 1996, the last time a new US-made reactor went online.
đź“Š Flash poll: In general, how do you feel about using nuclear energy as a source of electricity in the US?
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying →
Sprinkles against nuclear energy
- Some commentators argue that other forms of renewable energy technology – like wind, solar, and batteries – are currently seeing more technological breakthroughs and seem like more realistic options than nuclear energy.
- Others contend that nuclear energy is actually around twice as expensive to produce compared to wind or solar energy, and thus shouldn’t be seriously considered as a way to combat climate change.
- “Nuclear Power Still Doesn’t Make Much Sense” –Farhad Manjoo, NY Times
- “Nuclear energy should not be part of the global solution to climate change” –Amory B. Lovins, Utility Drive
- “Nuclear power is too costly and too risky” –Todd Larsen, USA Today
Sprinkles in favor of nuclear energy
- Some commentators argue that nuclear power represents a common-sense solution to the US electricity industry’s increased levels of carbon emissions, and would ensure that the ongoing EV revolution is actually beneficial to the environment.
- Others contend that while natural gas currently represents a cheaper way to produce electricity than nuclear energy, that’s only true when completely disregarding the negative externalities of burning fossil fuels (namely climate change).
- “Nuclear Power Has One Last Chance to Flourish in the US” –Liam Denning, Bloomberg
- “Why America should go nuclear for energy” –Murad Antia, Tampa Bay Times
- “Part of the solution to climate change is nuclear power” –John DeVillars, Boston Globe
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