Green Group discussion

I know that this may seem to be an unusual recommendation for the group but this book does make a good case for the role of nuclear energy to make the energy from renewables a practical proposition. The arguments are cogent and well documented and whatever side of this debate you find yourself there will be much which be of interest.

Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World

Hi Alan, all contributions are welcome. I've added your title to the Group Bookshelf, thanks.
Nuclear plants do indeed save carbon emissions, once they are built. The constructing part, using a lot of concrete, metals and trucks, obviously emits a considerable amount of carbon.

Not all countries want or are equipped to run nuclear plants, due to technical skills, maintenance and hazardous waste disposal. Where they are run safely, they contribute stable power supply to the grid.

We are hearing of potential for micro-nuclear generation plants for supply to datacentres.

Devices and Desires by P.D. James is set in a community living beside a nuclear plant in Britain.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/2...

"Google and atomic power biz Westinghouse Electric claim that AI will speed construction and cut the cost of building the new US power plants it is planning in response to rising demands for energy to fuel AI.

The pair announced back in July that they are working together to transform how nuclear reactors are constructed and optimize their operation. Now, they are showing off how the first of those works in practice.

Also back in July, Westinghouse disclosed plans to build ten additional large nuclear reactors in the US. Last month, the Trump administration backed it with an $80 billion deal to help fund those plans.

The problem, according to Westinghouse, is that atomic power plants have long and uncertain construction timelines, and the considerable build costs can easily run over budget. To make matters worse, there have been little or no new nuclear builds for at least a couple of decades, so lots of vital know-how has been lost.

This is where Google comes in, with help to develop a custom AI-powered platform to optimize the reactor construction process."

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/1...

https://www.ans.org/news/2025-10-28/a...

The growing micro and mini reactor industry is starting to grow. The main impetus is for micro reactors to provide power for data centers. These have small foot prints and some can be transported in shipping containers for rapid deployment. They eliminate years of building, expensive cost over runs, exhaustive environmental studies, and extensive site requirements.

A specific U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program for test reactors operates under a separate, expedited DOE authorization process, rather than traditional Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) commercial licensing, for research and development purposes.

The companies building the micro reactors, which is a new industry, with no track record, are very satisfied with this arrangement. It was expressed by the nuclear industry that the NRC rules were restricting the nuclear industry from developing new products. Basically, the new micro reactors are being fast tracked into eventual distribution.

"Industrial applications in some states may also face uncertainty over to "what extent utility regulations will apply if the power user is not also the reactor owner/operator", she said." Basically this is about any company being in possession of a nuclear power generator simply by buying or renting it. Though small in size, they are nuclear devices.

https://www.reuters.com/business/ener...

" Basically this is about any company being in possession of a nuclear power generator simply by buying or renting it. Though small in size, they are nuclear devices."

Who guards the guards?

It is claimed that all the safe guards and regulations already in place for traditional nuclear reactors will be used for the micro reactors. However, the existing rules are already being bypassed and its likely that they will continue to be bypassed under the excuse of national security.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/2...

"Amazon-backed nuclear energy startup X-energy says it has booked orders for 144 small modular reactors (SMRs) which will eventually deliver over 11 gigawatts of power, assuming that they actually get built. And investors continue to support this vision.

On Monday, X-energy revealed that it had gotten Jane Street and a slew of other private equity firms to deliver a $700 million Series D funding round to keep the lights on while the startup waits for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to sign off on a four-unit deployment of its Xe-100 reactors at Dow's Seadrift Operations manufacturing site in Texas.

The Xe-100 is a fourth-generation high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor capable of producing 80 MW of power over its 60-year operational life. The startup claims the cash infusion will help to shore up its supply chains and attract new customers.

Nuclear power, and in particular SMRs, has become a hot topic amid the AI boom as power has increasingly become a bottleneck for datacenter expansion across the US and much of Europe. "

https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/1...

The 700 million and the 144 orders are mainly for powering new Ai data centers. This is part of the Ai speculative bubble which may or may not burst. Opinions are strong but facts are currently inconclusive.

I found a mention of the Fukushima 2011 breach in this article about an earthquake in Japan today.

https://www.rte.ie/news/asia/2025/120...

"A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan, prompting orders for about 90,000 residents to evacuate and tsunami warnings that hours later were downgraded to advisories.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially said a tsunami as high as 3 metres could hit the country's northeastern coast after the earthquake struck off the coast at 11.15pm (2.15pm Irish time).
...
"The northeastern region suffered one of the country's deadliest earthquakes on 11 March 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude tremor struck under the ocean off the coast of the northern city of Sendai.

It was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan and set off a series of massive tsunami that devastated a wide swathe of the Pacific coastline and killed nearly 20,000 people.

The 2011 tsunami also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leading to a series of explosions and meltdowns in the world's worst nuclear disaster for 25 years.

Drawing on lessons from that disaster, when a magnitude 7-level earthquake had struck two days beforehand, the government now issues a one-week "megaquake" advisory whenever a significant earthquake occurs in the region."

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich