Dr Kelvin Kemm: Nuclear waste storage ….. no big deal

Nuclear power will be the future. There is no doubt about it. Nuclear is the cleanest, greenest, cheapest, safest, energy source ever. There is no doubt about that, no matter what anyone says. Also, just look at the energy density of sugar, coal, petrol, and uranium. Sugar contains about 20 megajoules per kilogram, coal 25, petrol 50, but uranium is 76,000,000. What this tells you is that you can carry your lifetime supply of electricity in a shopping packet, if you’re carrying uranium.

Craig Rucker: The coming nuclear renaissance is small — and mighty

Small modular reactors are a key component for keeping our power grid bright.

Dr. Kelvin Kemm is a brilliant South African nuclear physicist and longtime dear friend of CFACT’s.

As Kelvin writes at CFACT.org:

David Harvey: A Nuclear Conversation

A conversation the Prime Minister would rather not have

There must be something in the air in the Prime Minister’s suite of the Beehive — a virus of omnipotence and omniscience that seems to infect whoever occupies the office. Jacinda Ardern demonstrated it in spades, with her authoritarian kindness and her government’s self-appointment as the nation’s single source of truth. Christopher Luxon now ventures forth in the same spirit, shutting down any debate on the nuclear question before it can begin.

What he does not appear to understand is that the nuclear issue reaches well beyond the Bomb. Nor does he seem aware of the actual limits of New Zealand’s “anti-nuclear” legislation, which does not prohibit the peaceful use of nuclear energy at all. But the more troubling thing is the arrogance of trying to close a conversation down.

Dark Jester: The Case for Nuclear Energy

It is becoming clear the ‘clean’ energy we have been using is insufficient to power New Zealand. While there are calls to reexamine the use of fossil fuels, I would propose there is another energy source to consider: nuclear energy.

Duggan Flanakin: Is America on the verge of a nuclear renaissance?

It has been more than seven years since President Donald Trump signed the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) into law – and it has taken all seven years (including four during the Biden Administration) for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue a final rule implementing its provisions.

Robert Bradley Jnr: Nuclear Power Needs Realism, Freedom

What US industry is the most subsidized and regulated by the federal government? If you answered nuclear power, you are correct.

As a result, the 70-year “Atoms for Peace” program represents the most expensive failure (malinvestment) in US business with a history of uncompleted projects and massive cost overruns, as well as future decommissioning liabilities.

Professor John Raine: Climate And Energy Policy Realism Not Virtue Signalling, Please

Saving the Planet with Formula 1 Design Regulations

The 2026 Formula 1 (F1) motor racing season gets under way in Melbourne 6 - 8 March. During pre-season testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, leading drivers such as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso weren’t holding back with their criticism of the new FIA design regulations.

The sustainable non-fossil fuel is not really an issue, although “sustainable” needs close scrutiny as too often some environmental and emissions costs are externalised. The key change is that the FIA has specified an increase from 120kW to 350kW (close to 50%) electric power, and a reduction from ~550kW to ~400kW from the 1.6 litre turbocharged internal combustion engine. Notably, the battery energy storage capacity of 4 megajoules for 2026 remains unchanged, with this energy to be recovered twice over in braking each lap. Drivers now have become electrical energy managers rather than being 100% focused on driving flat out.

Andrew Moran: Trump Seeks to Make Coal Great Again

The black rock to power advanced artificial intelligence.

Like Dutch tulips and the dot-com era, the world is euphoric over artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and robots. Humanity has been able to build technology that will eventually be sentient, requiring semiconductors, data centers, and industrial materials. Along the way, we forgot about one pressing need for advancing AI to the next level: energy. The White House thinks coal could potentially help power our appetite for generating AI slop and keeping Neo operating to fold the laundry and unload the dishwasher.

Ronald Stein, Oliver Hemmers, Steve Curtis: Why does the world insanely ignore nuclear power?

There is a lot of talk about nuclear power around the world today. However, except for China and, maybe, Russia, there is little action.

Talk means nothing, but action means everything. Perhaps the reason for inaction is the massive waste of government funding for nuclear power promises. Private capital produces many times more production than government funding does. Maybe if the money were left in the hands of the people, some sense of urgency could be realized. Moreover, to secure monopolies for those who own them, massive government roadblocks are placed in the way of any competition that could disrupt the profits from these monopolies.

Ronald Stein: Africa is pioneering nuclear innovation as it faces a dire electricity crisis

Sub-Saharan Africa faces a dire electricity crisis. Over 600 million people—more than 40% of the continent’s population—lack access to electricity, a figure projected to rise to 657 million by 2030 without intervention.

The global nuclear renaissance is well underway—evidenced by companies like Oklo, which is now included in the Russell 2000 stocks list. The outlook is based on Oklo’s long-term vision, particularly with the Trump administration’s increased focus on AI revolution data center development powered by nuclear-generated electricity.

David Farrar: Micro nuclear power

A fascinating post by Stephen McBride. He notes:

A single uranium pellet the size of a gummy bear contains as much energy as 140 barrels of oil. It’s the cleanest, safest energy source known to man.

And:

Kerre Woodham: Can Kiwis be swayed to support Nuclear Power?

It seems hard to believe, but the Maxim Institute reckons New Zealand can lead the world in sustainable AI infrastructure. They warn, however, that the window of opportunity is closing quickly because everybody wants to be in on it.

Every other country wants the rewards that come from hooking their carriages to the AI machine, the choices we make now will determine whether New Zealand becomes a leader in the AI economy or is stuck in competing for the rats and mice that are left.

Duggan Flanakin: Russia flexing nuclear energy muscles in Africa

Through its state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, Russia under Vladimir Putin has extended its tentacles deep into Africa. Early in this century, Russia began escalating its outreach, offering its significant expertise in nuclear energy to emerging African nations eager to utilize the continent’s ample uranium resources to power their futures.

Ronald Stein: Nuclear-generated electricity saves an electricity-starved world

Only a few wealthy countries have spent hundreds of billions of dollars subsidizing what they call “renewable energy” in the name of “carbon-free electricity” that is unreliable and weather dependent. Yet, despite picking our pockets through taxes and borrowing to support humongous subsidies for wind and solar, our direct costs are rising for electricity, our electric grid is becoming more failure-prone, and we still live with a monopolistic system called utilities of marketing electricity.

Duggan Flanakin: Can the U.S. retake the lead in new nuclear energy?

As of 2023, nearly one-quarter of the world’s nuclear reactors generating electricity were in the United States, which also boasts over a quarter of worldwide generation capacity and over 30% of actual nuclear electricity generation. But the average age of the 92 U.S. operational nuclear reactors, the world’s third oldest fleet, was 41.6 years. The Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Georgia are the only new U.S. reactors in the past 40 years.

Mike's Minute: Should NZ no longer be nuclear free?

We have to ask some simple questions around our attitude to nuclear and whether we are capable of becoming slightly more mature about it.

This country got semi-famous for its anti-nuke stance. We are still anti-nuke, but we got famous a lifetime ago and the world has changed.

Ronald Stein P.E., Oliver Hemmers: It’s time to follow the Navy’s 50-year safety record of nuclear power generation

Delivery of affordable, abundant, reliable, clean, and emissions-free electricity to customers is very important to modern quality of life. Achieving this is threatened by a vulnerable grid and the intermittency of wind and solar electricity generation methods. To meet the coming power supply crisis for the demands of data centers and AI, it’s time to stimulate conversations about electricity generation to meet the needs of the end users.

Ian Bradford: New Zealand should stop building more wind and solar farms immediately

I have written before under the heading: ‘There is nothing good about wind farms.” The same can be said about solar farms.

Just to recap:

1 They either take up a huge amount of valuable farm land or large areas of often native forest, are blitzed to make way for them.

Peter Williams: Time for Nuclear?

Leading business identity says let's get serious about it

When the independent chairman of an NZX-listed windfarm company makes a public call for this country to think really seriously about building a nuclear power plant then maybe we should all start thinking seriously about the proposition too.

Craig Stobo, chairman of NZ Windfarms Limited, which operates turbines on the Manawatu hills with a tiny installed generating capacity of a 45.5 megawatts (MW), made the call during his weekly appearance on the internet radio station The Platform.

Clive Bibby: Scrapping of Lake Onslow pump hydro project makes sense.

I am personally pleased that the Government has taken a new look at its priority list of spending on clean energy projects.

Having said that, my support is conditional on additional projects being ones that make sense and are in the best interests of the nation’s taxpayers and users of the extra energy generated.

The cost of these new projects needs to be seen as a responsible use of the country’s scarce financial resources compared to the huge waste likely to have occurred pursuing some of the last government’s ill conceived ideas.