Reimagining Nuclear Energy

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Nuclear Power - Economics, Design, & Industry

Date posted: 07/27/15

Doug McCuistion emphasizes that nuclear energy has been an indispensable part of the energy generation mix in the U.S. for over half a century. Currently, 99 nuclear reactors generate approximately 20 percent of U.S. electricity and more than 60 percent as so-called clean energy. And according to a recent report from Nuclear Matters and The Brattle Group, these reactors contribute $60 billion annually to U.S. GDP, while supporting 475,000 full-time jobs and avoiding 573 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. These avoided emissions have been a key contributor to the significant improvements in U.S. air quality over the past 30 years. The U.S. nuclear fleet has been designed for large baseload power generation, and fulfills that purpose extraordinarily well. But nuclear can do more. The existing nuclear fleet has limitations - necessity to generate and distribute large amounts of power from a centralized location, reliance on large bodies of water, lengthy construction timelines, and extensive emergency planning zones for the unlikely event of an incident requiring an evacuation. Imagine nuclear energy that is freed from the constraints of traditional nuclear plant size and location. Imagine nuclear energy that is city-scale, independent of water, and designed to ensure safety through physics rather than man-made systems. Imagine nuclear energy that produces safer spent fuel and can even use thorium, plutonium, or the spent fuel from other reactors. Imagine nuclear power that is quicker and less expensive to construct, has a lower visual impact, and more closely links electricity supply with demand. Advanced nuclear reactors, using coolants other than water, release nuclear energy from the constraints of bodies of water and allow nuclear energy to do more in more places than ever before. Significant action is needed from the Federal Government to realize this revolution in the possibilities for reliable, zero-emission nuclear energy in the United States.