The White House recently announced new measures to support the development of new U.S. nuclear power plants, a large potential source of carbon-free electricity the government says is needed to combat climate change.
President Biden’s 2022 budget had allocated $1.8 billion for nuclear reactors and recently the administration announced that $6 billion in infrastructure money would be available to nuclear companies.
Nuclear proponents say the technology is critical to providing large, uninterrupted supplies of emissions-free power to serve soaring electricity demand from data centers and electric vehicles and still meet President Joe Biden’s goal of decarbonizing the U.S. economy by 2050.
Critics worry about the buildup of radioactive waste stored at plants around the country and warn of the potential risks to human health and nature, especially with any accidents or malfunctions.
Nuclear energy accounts for about 19% of U.S. power generation, compared with 4% for solar and 10% for wind.
Do you think the U.S. should support development of new U.S. nuclear power plants?