Nuclear energy usage is projected to reach record levels this year, with advocates labeling it as "clean energy" and pushing for its increased role in combating climate change. While nuclear power generates electricity without harmful emissions, it poses various environmental challenges, including indirect emissions from uranium mining, contaminated water, radioactive waste, and the potential for disasters similar to Chernobyl.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), nuclear energy is expected to account for nearly 10% of global electricity production by 2025, marking a 30-year high. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol attributes this increase partly to China and the growing energy demands from technologies such as artificial intelligence and data centers.
In recent months, major tech companies such as Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have announced plans to invest in nuclear energy under the banner of CO2 neutrality, despite previous commitments to rely solely on renewable sources. As time runs short to curb greenhouse gas emissions and control global warming, some political figures and financiers are advocating for a renewed emphasis on nuclear energy.
Nearly two years after Germany shut down its last nuclear reactors, the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) has publicly called for increased research into nuclear technology, including discussions about potentially restarting decommissioned reactors. With an election campaign underway in Germany, the CDU/CSU's platform states that nuclear energy should play a significant role, especially regarding climate goals and supply security.
CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz described the shutdown of nuclear plants in Germany as a "strategic mistake," though he acknowledged that it is unrealistic to restart the decommissioned reactors. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party also supports a return to nuclear energy, arguing it is a "sustainable, serious energy mix," while the current minority government, comprised of Social Democrats and Greens, has ruled out a return to nuclear power.
In the U.S., Amazon and Google plan to purchase electricity from small modular reactors, modern nuclear plants with a capacity of less than 300 MW, which is only one-third of a traditional nuclear plant's capacity. Data centers and artificial intelligence currently consume between 1% and 3% of global energy supply, and this demand is expected to double by 2030. Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation Energy, stated that nuclear plants are the only viable option to meet the constant energy needs of data centers.
While the industry assures that small modular reactors are a safe solution, climate activists argue that this technology has not yet been sufficiently tested for commercial use. To date, only two such reactors have been constructed, designed by Russia and China. The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR), partly funded by Germany's Ministry for the Environment, notes that both reactors took two to three times longer to build than originally planned, exceeded their budgets, and failed to meet energy production targets.
The nuclear industry contends that these delays were not surprising, given that the first small modular reactors built in Russia and China were pilot projects. Future projects are expected to be constructed more quickly, according to Henry Preston, spokesperson for the World Nuclear Association (WNA). However, independent nuclear analyst Mycle Schneider stated that this would only be possible through the reproduction of identical or nearly identical modules, rather than varying modular plants, as seen in Russia and China.
Experts emphasize that while wind and solar energy will likely play a crucial role in replacing fossil fuels, complete reliance on these sources is impractical due to their dependence on natural wind and sunlight availability. Following the 2023 Climate Conference in Dubai, 31 countries, including major nuclear players like France, the UK, the US, and Japan, pledged to triple their nuclear capacities by 2050.
However, the WNISR report expresses skepticism about this commitment, highlighting several potential obstacles: high maintenance costs, lengthy construction periods, and a lack of industrial capacity. The report suggests that over 1,000 new reactors would need to be built to triple current capacities, a goal that may be challenging to achieve with small modular reactors, according to Schneider's analysis published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 2023.