April 19, 2007
Nuclear power not the answer for the US?
Contrary to the hopes of the Bush administration, nuclear power will neither play a major role in reducing US carbon emissions nor in increasing energy security, according to a report by Council on Foreign Relations. Even if a new reactor was built every four or five months over the next forty years, it would only be enough to replace the 103 reactors currently in production in the US, many of which will close down in the next few decades. This replacement rate faced "daunting challenges" said the report, such as a lack of skilled workers and difficulties in getting specialised components.
