Nuclear’s Moment
Charles Oppenheimer spoke at the Energy Imperatives conference in Washington this week and concluded his panel with the call that now is nuclear’s moment – developing new nuclear capacity has never been more critical and political and popular support has finally arrived. Among other luminaries at the event was US Energy Secretary Chris Wright who shared a similar urgency about the need to streamline a pathway to building new reactors. To top it off this week, the World Bank has finally reversed its longstanding ban on financing nuclear energy projects. This is great news for the developing world who may finally have a pathway to developing new clean electricity that had been hamstrung in the past.
Meanwhile in the UK…
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom delivered a big boost to nuclear energy. On June 9th, Starmer’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced a £14.2bn investment in the British nuclear energy company Sizewell C to build a new nuclear power station and to support a drive to build small modular reactors. The project is a major win in the nuclear renaissance, expected to create 10,000 jobs and provide power for 6 million homes.
Washington Post Weighs in on the Threat of Weapons.
On the international peace front, Jon Wolfsthal, Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda lay out the geopolitical situation in their recent opinion essay on nuclear dangers in The Washington Post. Importantly, they remind us that nine states possess nuclear weapons and are each pursuing modernization and/or expansion of their arsenals. Few international arms control treaties remain, while many states are testing nuclear norms. Global leaders must come together so we can avoid a global catastrophe. Promoting this imperative is a key objective of the Oppenheimer Project and we invite your cooperation and comments on how to get there.