Trump Wants More Nuclear Power

President Trump wants to hasten the pace at which nuclear power is used as a major source of electricity. Based on the modest pace of green energy deployment and the demand from AI, air conditioning, and Bitcoin mining, it is one of the few paths forward to dodge what could be an energy demand catastrophe.

Axios states, “The White House is planning executive action soon to try to speed nuclear reactors’ deployment.” The primary conduit may be the energy-hungry Defence Department. Earth.org recently pointed out that “US military pollution is a significant contributor to climate change. If it were a nation state, it would be the 47th largest emitter in the world.”

The plan will need to follow two paths going forward. The first is to put older reactors back online. Microsoft’s plan to restart parts of Three Mile Island, the location of the worst reactor disaster in the US in 1977, is an example of this. 

SMRs Go Online

The other alternative is small modular reactors (SMR). The International Atomic Energy Agency describes these as “Given their smaller footprint, SMRs can be sited on locations not suitable for larger nuclear power plants. Prefabricated units of SMRs can be manufactured and then shipped and installed on site, making them more affordable to build than large power reactors, which are often custom designed for a particular location, sometimes leading to construction delays.”

The restarting of old reactors may cause concerns among the public. The SMRs are largely untested. A swift federal approval process will be needed to get nuclear online fast enough to handle a massive surge in electricity demand.

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