Is Nuclear Power Our Energy Future, Or in a Death Spiral?

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

Date posted: 03/31/16

Dave Levitan opines that it is now generally agreed that the world must rapidly reduce carbon emissions in order to fight off dangerous climate change, but the how of that process remains up for debate. And within that debate, nothing seems to produce such starkly opposing viewpoints as nuclear energy. Some experts and advocates argue that carbon-free nuclear power represents the only real hope of keeping the planet temperature in check. Others claim that nuclear is risky, unnecessary and far too expensive to make a dent. The same basic data set, nuclear plants currently in existence, those under construction, the status of new technologies, the history of costs and delays, and a few striking incidents hyped by the media, produces those totally contradictory opinions and predictions. Nuclear power is a Rorschach test ... You see what you want to see, a rosy nuclear future or an old-world dinosaur in a slow death spiral, reflecting the public views on the energy present and future. In all likelihood, no one will be proven right or wrong for decades. Nuclear power today accounts for around 10% of the total electricity generation around the world. This varies sharply by country, in the U.S. the rate is about 20%, in Russia and Germany it is a bit lower than that, while some other European countries get 40 and 50% from nuclear reactors. France has long led the way proportionally, at more than 75% (it has the second most total reactors, behind the U.S.). China, though building rapidly, drew less than 3% of its power from nuclear in 2014. There are 442 reactors currently in operation globally, and the International Atomic Energy Agency says 66 are currently under construction. Twenty-four of those are in China ... no other country is currently building more than eight. At some point it will be enough of a wake-up call that the U.S. will be demanding action to address climate change and reduce emissions, especially as the new technology comes into play.