By Anil Nair
Galloping energy demands of modern-day information technology (IT) operations — including cloud services, big data processing, artificial intelligence (AI) usage, and 24×7 high-performance computing at hyperscale data centres — are forcing the industry to go nuclear. Little wonder that large technology companies, which were more focused on wind and solar sources, are looking very seriously at nuclear plants to provide emission-free power.
Microsoft has signed up with Constellation Energy to revive the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania by 2028, promising to consume all the power it can generate over 20 years. Bill Gates has invested $1 billion in TerraPower, which will develop small reactors, partnering with Warren Buffett’s PacifiCorp. Google is working with Kairos Power, a producer of small modular reactors (SMR), and will buy all their nuclear power when they commence production in 2030. Amazon, similarly, is investing in X-Energy, an SMR company.
Nuclear energy, found in the nucleus of an atom, is extracted to produce electricity through two atomic reactions — nuclear fission, in which uranium is used as a fuel to split atoms to release energy, or nuclear fusion, where lighter nuclei like hydrogen are combined to produce considerable energy. Arguably, fusion is safer as it does not involve chain reactions or cause explosions, but has proved somewhat utopian thus far.
It’s not just IT. Nuclear power can charge electric vehicle charging stations, providing reliable, low-carbon electricity for transportation. Steel and chemical manufacturing can deploy high temperature nuclear reactors advangeously. Process heat is best for glass manufacturing, cement production, and metal refining. Radioisotopes from nuclear processes find wide use in medical applications like diagnosis and treatment. Scientific research can use nuclear high-energy output for particle research experiments. Nuclear power can help in converting sea water to potable water in desalination plants. Space exploration, involving long-duration missions to solar energy-scarce planets, use nuclear energy from radioisotope thermoelectric generators.
A clear benefit is the stable, continuous supply from nuclear sources regardless of weather conditions, ideal for uninterrupted operations of critical systems — which contrasts markedly with fickle supply from renewable sources like solar and wind. Greenhouse emissions are minimal in nuclear power, while the longer-term climate related downsides from using fossil fuels are well known. Other benefits are that a small amount of nuclear fuel can produce substantial output and scaling doesn’t demand extensive land use, as required for renewables.
Challenges include significant upfront capital investments and long durations before plants become operational — due to stringent regulatory approvals, the complexity of the technology involved, and the many safeguards that must be in place.
The biggest hurdle is perhaps public resistance, owing mainly to three infamous accidents. The Chernobyl disaster resulted in a massive explosion and fire. The Three Mile Island meltdown was a major accident too, while the one at Fukushima was caused by a tsunami that followed an earthquake. Meltdowns happen when the heat generated far exceeds the heat transferred out through cooling systems. The release of radioactive material with damaging long-term health and environmental consequences remains deeply etched in public memory. The other is that nuclear technologies are perceived as being linked to nuclear weapons, which in the wrong hands can cause unprecedented mass destruction.
That it currently powers communities in 28 US states and supports half a million jobs there, is a contrarian case in point.
Nuclear waste is a thorny issue — because it is a dangerous by-product, is radioactive, and can cause extensive damage. Material like uranium and plutonium are highly toxic and can remain so for tens of thousands of years. The onus is on producers to safely package and dispose of nuclear waste despite the huge costs involved, and on the government to regulate this effectively. In the US, used fuel is stored at 70 sites in 35 states. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is working on creating government-owned storage facilities and a 12-axle railcar for secure transportation of spent nuclear fuel and waste.
Advanced microreactors and SMRs are being developed under the aegis of the US DOE. Microreactors are factory-built systems that can generate 1-10 megawatts (Mw) of electricity, that can power a thousand homes over 10 years and be easily set up in days. SMRs, ranging from 10 to 100s of Mw in size, provide a variety of options by way of size, technology, and capability, using water or gas, liquid metal, or molten salt as coolants. SMRs offer the advantage of lower cost, safeguards, security, and non-proliferation.
A global race for nuclear augmentation is on. Over 40 countries are expanding capacity, which will treble nuclear energy availability by 2050. China, Russia, and the US are competing to provide both technology and investments. India’s NTPC has just got the ball rolling by inviting expressions of interest from global players for indigenising pressured water reactors, targeting 15 gigawatt (Gw) capacity. This is one among many actions being taken by the government to realise its goal of attaining 100 Gw of power capacity. Another is amending laws to permit private sector participation at scale.
Nuclear energy remains a paradox — the cleanest path to power and the most radioactive road to controversy.
The author is Founder of ThinkStreet.
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