Overcoming the Barriers to Nuclear Energy Revival
What’s in the way of a nuclear energy comeback in the US?
The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in Avila Beach, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The US is taking a fresh look at nuclear power. After a dearth of construction, and de-commissioning of working nuclear plants, people are talking, yet again, about it as a source of steady, affordable, carbon-free electricity. But of course, nuclear has its drawbacks, particularly on the financial side, as new plants have been plagued by cost over-runs, contributing to utility bankruptcies. So what would need to happen to get the economics working again? On this episode we speak with Mark Nelson, the founder of Radiant Energy Group, to discuss the state of the industry, the state of the technology, and what it would take to bring nuclear back into the mix. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.