The promises and perils of nuclear power - POLITICO
The promises and perils of nuclear power - POLITICO
The promises and perils of nuclear power
Global interest in nuclear power is growing thanks to the push to stem the climate crisis.
But while nuclear plants can be a source of reliable, carbon-free energy, they come with some big downsides. They’re costly to build and operate, there are challenges in disposing of their radioactive waste, and if nuclear material falls into the wrong hands, the consequences can be deadly.
President Joe Biden is trying to mitigate the risks while reaping the low-carbon benefits — though some supporters of his climate policies are skeptical.
On the economic front: The administration today announced it will provide $1.2 billion in aid to help economically distressed nuclear power plants in the U.S. continue operating. This round of funding will also support reopening plants that have recently shuttered, Reuters reported.
On the security front: Biden inked a new strategy for stopping bad actors, both in the U.S. and abroad, from using nuclear materials to build deadly chemical weapons. That includes reducing the risks of a new type of nuclear power plant — the small modular reactor — which is generating bipartisan appeal in the U.S. and drawing potential customers overseas.
U.S. regulators certified one small modular design last month for domestic use. Twelve countries across Europe and the Middle East have signed agreements to deploy the new technology.
After the meltdown of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, interest in big nuclear facilities tanked. Small modular reactors are cheaper and more manageable to operate — but they could also produce “usable material” for terrorist groups, a senior administration official told POLITICO’s Paul McLeary and other reporters today.
“We have to anticipate that and prepare and prevent that becoming a risk,” the official said.
How exactly the U.S. aims to prevent international nuclear, chemical and biological threats is classified information. But the administration says it is establishing the “first comprehensive policy” for securing radioactive materials here and abroad.
Not everyone is convinced, however. Edwin Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said it’s going to take a lot more than advances in safeguards and security technologies to lessen dangers from the new breed of reactors.
That idea is “overly optimistic and ignores the limitations of such systems when deployed in the real world,” he said.
The big picture: While Biden has said nuclear power is a critical element in greening the electric grid to combat climate change, the industry is being battered by rising security and maintenance costs, plus competition from wind and solar power and inexpensive natural gas. The nation had 104 operating nuclear reactors in 2012. Today, there are 92.
It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to
Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Josh Siegel breaks down the GOP's energy project permitting bill, and why they will (once again) face an uphill legislative battle.
electric future
How big is too big?
Even though offshore wind is just getting going in the United States, the turbines that will be used are changing dramatically — growing bigger and bigger, writes Heather Richards.
Bigger turbines make more electricity and lower costs for developers. But the global race to go big is changing the standard size of offshore wind turbines, which could create mayhem all the way down the supply chain and threaten the pace of development.
Power Centers
Past, meet present
The federal review of a key power line to connect a huge amount of solar energy in Nevada to millions of households has been delayed by months over concerns it could disrupt thousands of ice age fossils, writes Scott Streater.
The 470-mile-long Greenlink West transmission line would stretch along Nevada’s western boundary, from Las Vegas north to Reno, carrying as much as 4,000 megawatts of electricity from dozens of proposed solar projects in the state.
Veto alert
Biden faces his first veto prospect after the Senate voted Wednesday to nullify an administration rule that would enable retirement funds to consider environmental, social and governance factors when considering investments, writes Jeremy Dillon.
The bill, which required only a simple majority to pass, is likely to embolden Republican attempts to roll back more Biden administration environmental regulations. Lawmakers are unlikely to override a veto, which would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
Subsidy talks
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Washington next week to speak with Biden about the Inflation Reduction Act and broader security issues, writes a team of POLITICO reporters.
Europe and the U.S. have been at odds for months over Biden’s landmark green subsidies plan, which Brussels fears will drain the continent of investment and clean technology.
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Algal blooms are growing bigger and more frequent worldwide as ocean temperatures rise and circulation patterns change.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is advancing an investigation of health hazards linked to gas stoves, suggesting an openness to regulating the widely used appliance.
Operators of the last nuclear power plant in California received federal approval to keep its two reactors in operation as the state phases out oil and gas.
That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
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