Nuclear Drives “All of the Above” Trend in Energy Security
UK Sets January 2027 Deadline for Ban on Fuel Made From Russian Crude What I Cover Irina Slav has been writing about global energy markets since 2007, covering the oil and gas industry, energy security, commodities, and the… Japan plans to rebuild over a dozen nuclear reactors by 2050; China is building seven new ones this year alone; in the U.S., two companies are building a hybrid nuclear-and-gas power plant; Germany admitted killing nuclear was a big mistake.
Nuclear is back—and it makes the backbone of a new approach to energy security.
“We clearly need more nuclear power and we’re bullish on it,” the president of Microsoft, Brad Smith said recently, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that nuclear is back in favor with everyone, but especially Big Tech.
Microsoft is among the tech majors investing in nuclear generation to power its AI data centers, effectively admitting that hopes and dreams of low-carbon wind and solar reliance would never become a reality.
Nuclear remains the only reliable, (dispatchable), low-carbon form of energy—and it is also a lot less vulnerable to geopolitical price swings than oil and gas.
Following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the Japanese government closed all of its nuclear reactors and tried to switch to other forms of electricity generation.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis, as well as LNG price volatility, however, recently prompted a reconsideration of the nuclear-divorce policy, with growing pro-nuclear sentiment in Japanese political circles.
The idea torebuildas many as 11 to 14 nuclear reactors was laid out in a proposal by the country’s trade ministry earlier this month.
If all 14 are built, this would add 16 GW to Japan's generation capacity.
Currently, Japan generates between 60% and 70% of its electricity from hydrocarbons, including coal, oil, and natural gas, which it imports due to a lack of its own resources.
The drawbacks of this dependence have become quite obvious amid the Middle Eastern crisis, highlighting the advantages of nuclear.
China, meanwhile, is fully living up to its reputation as an all-of-the-above energy planner.
| Product | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Brent Crude | $102.14/bbl | +0.34% |
| WTI Crude | $96.90/bbl | +0.21% |
| EN590 Diesel | $846/MT | +0.18% |
| Jet Fuel A-1 | $1090/MT | +0.55% |
| Mazut M100 | $450/MT | -0.15% |
| Bitumen 60/70 | $470/MT | +0.08% |
| Sulphur Gran 99.5% | $470/MT | -0.44% |
| Urea 46% Gran | $650/MT | +1.12% |
| NPK 16-16-16 | $460/MT | -0.28% |
| Nat Gas TTF | $15.42/MMBtu | +0.92% |
Comments
Post a Comment