Murray Hogarth’s Post

Is nuclear really about to suddenly get much cheaper, safer and faster? I've been struggling to understand recent investments in #nuclear by Google Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft, the smart tech leaders backing nuclear including Bill Gates David Friedberg Sam Altman, and the ambitious nuclear plans of a major political party here in Australia. This support challenged my understanding of nuclear as basically being expensive, dangerous and very slow to deploy. I went to the DNV Energy Transition Outlook 2024, which projects that net nuclear additions (new minus retired) will be barely positive over the next 15 years, and also says: "SMR technology is increasingly praised as the next-generation technology that will take over the power sector. However, just like existing nuclear plant designs, SMRs need to demonstrate cost competitiveness, high safety levels, and solve non-proliferation and waste-management challenges." I also looked through these graphs from Ember and Nat Bullard, which seem to show that nuclear (for now) is a static technology being rapidly overtaken by #solar and #batterystorage So.... is this picture about to shift massively during the next decade? Or are these tech leaders too unaware of the domain dependence of their success?

The nuclear industry is staging a comeback, and tech giants like Microsoft are fueling the resurgence. In a fascinating turn of events, Microsoft has struck a deal to purchase all the electricity from the soon-to-be-revived Three Mile Island nuclear power plant for the next 20 years. This move has significant implications for both the future of nuclear energy and the insatiable power demands of Big Tech. While Three Mile Island is etched in history as the site of the United States' worst nuclear accident, its Unit 1 reactor consistently and safely generated electricity for decades until its shutdown in 2019. Now, with rising concerns over energy demand from data centers and AI, the plant is being rebranded as the Crane Clean Energy Center and prepped for a remarkable reopening by 2028. The confluence of factors driving this deal is truly intriguing. Microsoft's AI power needs are so immense that the tech giant is turning to a site once marred by a nuclear meltdown. Yet, for many in the climate sphere, this partnership makes perfect sense. Nuclear power's consistent output could prove crucial for meeting the ever-increasing energy demands of our digital world, while also providing a carbon-free source of electricity. #NuclearRenaissance #BigTechPower #ClimateAction

While the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (#NRC) has warmed up to the construction of new #nuclear power facilities as exponentially safer generation 4 nuclear technology comes online, adoption on the domestic front has remained sluggish. Residual concerns about how nuclear fits into our desired safety and environmental standards are slow to evaporate, even as experts and regulators warm to the newest technology.   However, the most intense push towards renewing nuclear energy in the US is now coming from energy-hungry industry actors seeking to support society's demand for an across-the-board technology upgrade in the #AI-age. Consumers want, and can now actually obtain, smart devices and AI capability in myriad forms--and the energy grid is simply not prepared to handle the task ahead without some serious upgrades of its own.   #Google has now decided to purchase, for its own (AI-related) use, several small modular nuclear #reactors, touting the purchase as the first of its kind and as a “a clean, round-the-clock power source" that is carbon-free. It will be exciting and interesting to see who the next big players to jump into the nuclear fray will be.   https://lnkd.in/gnCaVMfz

Meanwhile, all the talk over on Bluesky is of nuclear power ftw. Google and Microsoft are off to the races, Amazon was blocked but almost certainly will get the green light under Trump. And Mark and Meta now have to fight the bees. So I guess nuclear will power the datacentres of the future? #nuclear #datacentres #AI https://lnkd.in/efgKU6nM

Best invest in Building and talking about Fusion power, space, maritime propulsion systems and industry as data centres are. Great Headline, Guardian on Nuclear fission. https://lnkd.in/g8sMZtpR People talk about Nuclear (meaning Fission) and fail to discuss fusion. https://lnkd.in/ge_aeX7M The nuclear fission industry is ignorant of what's happening around it. It must pull its collective uranium heads out of the sand and prepare to enter the commercially growing fusion energy industry. Fission is moving towards obsolescence at an ever-increasing pace, as it is "out of step, out of time, out of place, and soon to be out of Fuel" and merely temporary. https://lnkd.in/gbd_mZqk By 2028, Helion is expected to start producing electricity from its first fusion commercial power plant, which will provide electricity to Microsoft. The plant will produce at least 50 MWe after an initial ramp-up period. https://lnkd.in/gY9J3MQY Now, see what is happening in the world of the fusion industry. https://lnkd.in/g9hMBD7a As fission trebles, fuel shortage is increasingly real, https://lnkd.in/gze5rwpr

Should technology companies really be able to choose to use nuclear power themselves? Amazon Web Services (AWS) Microsoft and now Google all going it alone in the USA. I’m not talking about the safety, appropriateness, benefit/risk of nuclear power in general, but the decision to effectively operate your own nuclear power plant, even SMR, just seems so… unregulated… and even anti-competitive to the wider grid needs. However, very excited to see how Rolls-Royce SMR uses this as a jump off point to respond to data centre power/nuclear need in the UK and Europe. There’s a trend for sure that the UK needs to get to the top of for the AI Revolution.

🎧 "We need this time" | #regulation & #finance for #SMRs 📑 Are nuclear regulators actively discussing the deployment of small modular reactors? In a word... yes. This is, of course, already happening. ⚙ “This phase that we’re going through, from the technology side, from your side, it gives time to the rest of the stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the new technology, and to be ready.” 🔵 In an excellent episode of the Blue Nuclear Pod with Ximena Vásquez-Maignan of White & Case LLP, we talked about how #SMR developers have a valuable time window within which to engage with regulators AND financial institutions – before their projects can hit the market. ⏳ “This phase that we’re going through, this is giving us time to prepare all the regulatory and legal frameworks.” 💶 “Also what is important today,” added Ximena, “is that until now, commercial banks, financial institutions, were not really looking into nuclear. We’re talking about large nuclear power plants that were mostly funded by governments. But now these are real industrial projects, almost B2B projects. And so the banks are starting to look into nuclear: to understand this new sector ... and how they can #finance it.” 💡 Catch the full episode on YouTube and Spotify ... YouTube ▶ https://lnkd.in/eqYZ8XZk Spotify ▶ https://lnkd.in/eybqiihy ... and stay tuned for more very soon from the Blue Nuclear Pod! #nuclear #nucléaire #technology #nuclearenergy #industry #France2030 IBNI | World Nuclear Association | White & Case LLP | Edouard Hourcade

Big data center operators like Amazon have become increasingly interested in nuclear power because of their enormous, 24/7 needs for electricity. Nuclear also promises to bolster the green credentials of these super-users. Dan Geiger and Ellen Thomas of Business Insider explore this new love affair with nuclear as AI and digitization drive booming demand for electricity. #datacenters #nuclear #AI #utilities

Go💥 Unlocking the Energy Trifecta: Abundant, Reliable & Clean Power 💥 Meeting rising energy demands while transitioning to sustainable sources is a monumental Rubik's cube. But what if one solution could solve for all three challenges at once? #nuclear power may just be that elegant key. At the "Nuclear Texas" event on March 10th, don't miss the game-changing panel "How Nuclear is Solving the Energy Rubik's Cube." An all-star lineup of visionary leaders will explore nuclear's immense potential as the densest, cleanest, and most reliable energy source for our net-zero future. With giants like Texas Nuclear Alliance, Oklo Inc, Constellation, and Dow bringing their A-game, you'll gain insider insights into how advanced nuclear can: ✅ Provide abundant baseload power for data centers, AI, semiconductors, and more ✅ Enhance grid resiliency and energy security ✅ Decarbonize industrial sectors while meeting rising energy needs The panel's headliners include Caroline Cochran (Oklo Inc's Co-Founder & COO), a trailblazer commercializing next-gen micro-reactors, Reed Clay from the Texas Nuclear Alliance leading the state's nuclear charge, Mason Emnett who oversees the development and implementation of federal regulatory strategy at Constellation and Edward Stones leading Dow’s efforts to navigate the Energy Transition. ~ As Texas and the world face the ultimate energy Rubik's cube, this panel promises practical and reliable perspectives on leveraging nuclear's game-changing potential. Don't miss this electrifying discussion. #nuclearenergy Brian Gitt Jacob DeWitte https://lnkd.in/gTSCaM2D

A decade ago, it seemed as though the global nuclear industry was in an irreversible decline. Concerns over safety, cost, and what to do with radioactive waste had sapped enthusiasm for a technology once seen as a revolutionary source of abundant cheap energy. Yet now there is widespread talk of a revival, fuelled by tech giants Microsoft, Google and Amazon all announcing investments in the sector, as well as the growing pressures on wealthy nations to curb their carbon emissions. But how real is the comeback? https://lnkd.in/e57467G2 #nuclear #power #emissions