If you pay much attention to energy and climate issues, you have probably seen a lot more news about nuclear power lately. Most report different takes on the same theme: that we are in the midst of an unprecedented revival of nuclear energy, and just in time to solve so many problems: climate disruption, energy security, the surging power needs of AI, even national security.
Most recently, on the day of his inauguration, President Trump declared a “National Energy Emergency,” and has ordered federal agencies to expand “domestic energy sources” – including, you got it, NUCLEAR ENERGY.
The trouble is, it’s all spin. There is no “nuclear revival” happening, here in the US, nor anywhere else. And there is no “energy emergency.” There is a climate emergency that demands a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels and transition to renewable, sustainable, non-polluting energy.
We have seen what explosive growth in energy looks like. It’s not always good for people or the planet, but it’s definitely not what is happening with nuclear energy. The emergence of gas-fired power plants as our largest electricity source from 2000-2015, with literally hundreds of new power plants built all over the country. The fracking boom that has made the US the largest oil and gas producer and exporter in the world, with over a million fracking wells and 60,000 miles of new pipelines. And the exponential rise in solar, wind, and now battery storage, which made up 90% of new electricity in the US last year. Globally, new wind and solar farms added more generation capacity in 2023 than all of the nuclear power plants in the world – in just one year.
By contrast, there are no nuclear power plants under construction in the U.S., and there won’t be any for a few years, at least. No designs for “advanced” or small modular reactors (SMRs) have been approved since a now-abandoned design was partially approved five years ago. Even plans to restart two or three reactors shut down several years ago face severe obstacles, but even that amounts to neither a “revival” nor an expansion. And the picture is even starker when you actually dig into the details.
The problem is, most media coverage and commentators not only aren’t digging – they’re not even scratching through the paper-thin lies nuclear corporations are pushing. Even when reporters mention that “environmental groups are skeptical,” there is rarely a quote that explains why, much less any hard questions posed to industry boosters who are frequently lying or, at best, spinning easily disproven misinformation.
For over forty-five years, we at NIRS have been tracking nuclear power and the energy industry. We dig into the details because the public deserves to know the truth, and because nuclear power and the energy industry affect all of us, in every way: our power bills, the health of our families and communities, our water and environment, future generations, and climate survival. This part of our mission is more important than ever, because of how much misinformation about nuclear power is being published on a daily basis.
To counter that trend, we are revving up our blog, Green World, to provide accurate information and a critical perspective on developments in the energy industry, especially nuclear power. We may not be able to address every inaccurate statement because there are so many, but we are monitoring the most important issues and major trends to provide the facts and perspective you need to sort out the truth.