Out of the nuclear mothballs
On data centers, fossil fuels, and the renewal of old power plants
A nuclear power plant in Michigan with an 800-megawatt capacity is about to be restarted, making it the first in the country to be officially restarted. 800 megawatts is a big chunk of electricity: The Lower 48 States have been oscillating between about 400,000 and 600,000 megawatt-hours for the past week, about 100,000 of which have come from nuclear plants. The Michigan restart probably won't be the last, either: The Duane Arnold plant near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is also in line for a restart.
■ The Palisades plant has a number of credible detractors, and reasonable objections should be faithfully reviewed. But we also need to account for the knowledge that nuclear power is a decidedly stable source of carbon-free electricity, and if we're going to get ahead of the consequences of generations of fossil-fuel use, then we need to electrify even more of the economy and do it without emitting more carbon. That means renewables and nuclear power, hand-in-hand.
■ There's a lot of optimistic talk about small modular reactors -- simplified, scaled-down nuclear plants -- including at the site where the Michigan plant is being rebooted. They're talking about installing twin 300-megawatt units there, for another 600 megawatts total. As long as the power isn't entirely sucked up by new demand from data centers (a very real issue), then the restart and expansion ought to be a net social positive.
