US Nuclear Power Renaissance of Sorts

 

“Nuclear energy accounts for 50% of the US’s carbon-free electricity” (The Verge). Four recent developments point to a renaissance.

1. Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia is the largest generator of clean energy in the US; it has two old (1980s) and two new nuclear reactors. Unit 3 entered commercial operation in July 2023, and unit 4 entered commercial operation in April 2024. The combined power capacity is 4,536 MW!

2. The Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo, CA was under closing procedures to conclude in 2025, but a $1.1 billion grant from US DOE to Diablo Canyon added to a $1.4 billion loan PG&E got from the state when Gov. Newsom signed a bill in September allowing the plant to stay open until 2030.

3. A US DOE conditional commitment of up to $1.52 billion for a loan guarantee aims to bring back online the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, which ceased operations in May 2022, and upgrade it to produce baseload clean power until at least 2051.

4. Constellation Energy will restart Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island, to help power Microsoft’s growing artificial intelligence ambitions. Under the agreement, Constellation will revive the plant’s undamaged reactor, which was too costly to run and closed in 2019, and sell the power to Microsoft.

Another major advancement in nuclear energy took place in China, as reported in The Economist: "The Shidaowan power plant in China has successfully operated a 4th generation reactor, which uses uranium 'pebbles' that can tolerate extreme heat to prevent meltdowns, making a leap in nuclear technology and putting China 10 to 15 years ahead in this area. China also leads in fusion research, investing twice as much as the US to potentially revolutionize energy production."

October 17 Update: "Amazon is investing $500M toward nuclear power to meet the rising energy demands of its data centers and artificial intelligence initiatives. Yesterday's announcement comes two days after Google unveiled plans to purchase nuclear power and less than a month after Microsoft said it would reopen the Three Mile Island plant."