New Nuclear Tech Won’t Help U.S. Avoid ‘Profound’ Climate Problem

Bloomberg BNA reports that nuclear power, one of the largest sources of low-carbon energy, is fading quickly in the U.S. About 20 percent of U.S. electricity comes from nuclear power plants, but electric utilities are closing plants across the country as companies turn to less-costly natural gas and renewable energy. Five nuclear power plants have closed since 2012, with nine more slated for closure through 2025. “Right now, the cost of generating electricity from newly constructed nuclear plants is almost double the cost for power from a new natural gas combined-cycle plant,” Etan Gumerman, senior policy associate at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, told the paper.