Nuclear Power: Meltdown or Revival?

Dave Lochbaum, Director, Nuclear Safety Project, Union of Concerned Scientists
Jon Koomey, Research Fellow, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford University
Per Peterson, Member, Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future; Professor of Nuclear Engineering, UC Berkeley

Three years after Fukushima we ask: Is nuclear power dead in the water? Or is it poised for revival due to the world’s desperate need for carbon-free energy? Two U.S. nuclear plants are being shut down but dozens of others have been revitalized by regulators who approved letting them run another decade or two. Nuclear’s biggest challenge comes from the glut of natural gas, which is undercutting both clean and dirty sources of electricity.

Nuclear advocates say new technologies can deliver safe atomic power at competitive prices. Detractors say nuclear is propped up by a liability shield subsidized by taxpayers and that Fukushima proves it has unacceptable health and environmental risks.

April 3, 2014