EDITOR'S NOTE Good morning. For today's newsletter, we went with the nuclear option. But don't worry—that just means we'll be exploring the surprising comeback that nuclear energy generation has made in our power-hungry world. We hope we were able to breed up something fun and informative for you. |
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ENERGY Just like the dusty vinyl records your parents were on the verge of tossing for years, nuclear power is undergoing a renaissance. For decades, the energy source fell out of favor due to safety concerns and high plant construction costs; its share of the world's electricity supply plummeted to 9% in 2024 from 17% in 1996, according to the global energy think tank Ember. But in recent years, amid advances in safety and experimental tech promising greater affordability, many countries have begun to view nuclear power generation as a source of scalable low-carbon energy. Meanwhile, tech giants have started bankrolling reactors to power the AI boom. America united around splitting atoms In the US, the embrace of nuclear energy has been bipartisan. During the Biden administration, Congress passed subsidies to incentivize the deployment of nuclear energy. And in his second term, President Trump issued executive orders aimed at reducing regulatory hurdles for new reactors, with the stated aim of quadrupling capacity by 2050. Over a dozen reactors have been closed in the US since 2012, and no new large-scale nuclear power plants are getting built—yet. But as anticipated next-gen reactors undergo regulatory review, several older decommissioned ones are getting de-mothballed: - A decommissioned reactor at Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in American history, is due to go back online (it wasn't involved in the 1979 accident). The reactor's owner, Constellation Energy, signed a 20-year power purchasing agreement with Microsoft last year.
- And this summer, the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan became the first decommissioned US nuclear power plant to return to operational status, financed in part by a $1.5 billion loan from the Department of Energy.
The world powers ahead Despite the renewed enthusiasm in the US, the vast majority of new capacity is coming online in other countries. China, which lacks fossil fuel reserves, has added 80% of the world's new nuclear capacity in the past five years and is due to surpass the US in total nuclear power generation, according to the International Energy Agency. Meanwhile, the EU gave nuclear power a boost when it recognized it as a clean energy source, making it eligible for government subsidies. France currently plans to build six new nuclear reactors. The UK plans to increase its nuclear capacity to meet 25% of its electricity needs by 2050, up from 15% currently. And Russia is working on 19 nuclear power plants beyond its borders in places like Turkey, Iran, and Bangladesh, making it the biggest exporter of nuclear capacity. Looking ahead…Goldman Sachs projects that the world will have 500 functioning nuclear reactors in 2030, up from the current 440. By 2040, nuclear power will supply 12% of global electricity compared to the current 9%, according to the bank's estimates.—SK | | |
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TECH We're not on the cusp of a pocket-sized nuclear reactor that you can use to charge your phone (yet), but a panoply of startups are developing experimental reactors designed to be smaller and more efficient than the ones currently in use. Known as small modular reactors (SMRs), these next-gen reactors are designed to prioritize cost efficiency through simplification. Water isn't cool anymore. Many SMRs are cooled with substances like sodium or helium that have a higher boiling point than water, which is used to reduce temperature in conventional reactors. This allows them to avoid the high-pressure environment created by boiling water, allowing for fewer building materials and simpler systems. Who's experimenting? Several SMR developers have received Big Tech's backing as it quests to power data centers, which are gluttonous for gigawatts: - Bill Gates-backed TerraPower is building a small reactor in Wyoming. It aims to start delivering wattage by 2030 with the capacity to power ~276,000 homes.
- Amazon has provided funding to X-energy, which has designed a reactor cooled by helium and fueled by graphite pebbles containing uranium. The company says the design is "inherently safe" because graphite can't melt. It's contracted to start supplying the grid in Washington state in the 2030s.
- Kairos Power inked a deal to provide Alphabet with wattage from its salt-cooled reactors by 2030.
- OpenAI's Sam Altman is backing Oklo, which is preparing to build an experimental nuclear power plant in Idaho. The company was selected for a government program that expedites approvals for advanced reactors. Altman also invested in Helion Energy, a startup developing a reactor to supply Microsoft with electricity from nuclear fusion—the experimental technique of smashing atoms together as opposed to splitting them.
But…critics worry the new tech is unproven and could lead to boondoggles, pointing to NuScale, a company whose SMR in Idaho was nixed in 2023 after years of delays and cost overruns.—SK | | |
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SAFETY As excitement builds around restarting the US nuclear energy industry, there's one little question that observers are asking: Is it…safe? Most experts in the industry say yes, especially with modern advancements. But horrifying memories of large-scale disasters make many Americans bristle at the mention of nuclear power. After news that the nuclear power station on Three Mile Island—the site of the country's worst commercial nuclear accident, in 1979—was set to reopen to power Microsoft data centers, locals in Pennsylvania peppered regulatory officials with safety concerns over where radioactive waste would go and if a realistic evacuation plan would be created. Regulators warn they have to do more, with less. In May, the Trump administration signed a series of executive orders aimed at supercharging the nuclear industry, including one that restructured the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which some federal officials worry will threaten the agency's independence: - The Trump administration is prioritizing deregulation and speeding up licensing of new reactors.
- The NRC is worried it may not have enough staff to act as a watchdog.
The NRC wasn't fully staffed to begin with. On top of recent budget cuts preventing the agency from hitting hiring goals, it has a dwindling and aging labor pool.—MM | | |
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STAT Just five countries make up 71% of the globe's nuclear power generation capacity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the US Energy Information Administration: - The US tops the list as the largest nuclear energy producer, with 97 gigawatts of net capacity.
- No. 2, France, has been steadily ratcheting up its nuclear plans since 2022. The European country currently generates 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy and became Europe's largest electricity exporter in 2023.
- China, Russia, and South Korea round out the top five.
There are 146 nuclear reactors scattered elsewhere around the world that generate 108 gigawatts of net capacity.—MM |
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ENTERTAINMENT Whenever the word "nuclear" gets mentioned in pop culture, it's usually in the context of meltdowns, mutants, or mushroom clouds. In fact, approximately 96% of films that build a plot around nuclear energy shine a negative light on it, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Energy Research & Social Science. That might be part of the reason why a Gallup poll conducted earlier this year found that more than one-third of Americans somewhat or strongly oppose nuclear energy. Pop culture portrayals of the technology—and the weapons it helps create—don't always enrich the cause. The Simpsons did it: From meltdowns to three-eyed fish, the show has poked fun at nuclear power for decades. Even the opening credits show Homer carelessly handling radioactive material. It's been such a significant cultural influence that the Department of Energy website periodically updates an article titled "7 Things The Simpsons Got Wrong About Nuclear." Super power: Radioactive sources also tend to be the leading cause of superhuman abilities, transforming guys into characters like Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, and Dr. Manhattan. Nuclear testing also figures prominently in the lore of Godzilla and the horror film The Hills Have Eyes. Then, there are the depictions based on true stories: - The 2019 TV miniseries Chernobyl garnered critical acclaim for nailing the Soviet-era environment and emotion of the 1986 power plant disaster. But it also drew criticisms that it sensationalized the health effects of radiation.
- Christopher Nolan's award-winning Oppenheimer explored the moral dilemmas of the atomic bomb's catastrophic potential. It also explored the limits of how many actors you can fit into one movie.
Generating positive reactions: Lately, there's been a push by activists, influencers, companies, lawmakers, and lobbyists to soften nuclear power's image and promote its benefits. Earlier this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency launched a contest showcasing art that reclaims "nuclear energy's cultural narrative."—BC | | |
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