Innovative atomic energy is key to avoid climate collapse

As of March 2026, there are 94 commercial nuclear reactors operating at 54 power plants in 28 states in the United States. In 2025, these reactors provided about 18% of the country’s electricity, after generating 782 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024. As a baseload source, nuclear ran at a 91% capacity factor in 2025, the highest of any type of power plant, and it remains the country’s largest source of clean electricity. The reactors are turned off every 18 to 24 months for refueling and maintenance.

Worldwide, there are about 440 commercial nuclear reactors operating in 31 countries, with a combined capacity of about 400 GW. In 2025, these reactors produced 2,702 TWh, about 9% of the world’s electricity. About 80 more reactors are under construction in 15 countries.

In 2025, the average total generating cost for US nuclear plants, including capital, fuel and operating costs, was $36.46 per megawatt-hour (MWh). Plants with more than one reactor averaged $34.36/MWh. A 2025 study of 23 generating technologies by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the Electric Power Research Institute found that existing nuclear plants running for the long term have the lowest average cost of electricity of any technology analyzed. And, this does not include the cost of pollution and waste disposal that nuclear is not associated with.

A 1 GW plant, (for 750,000 homes) consumes only 3 kg of nuclear fuel per day, costing about half as much as equivalent weight in Silver. The nuclear plant releases only steam, or clean warm water. Fuel cost is about one half cent per kWh, much less than consumer energy prices in California between $0.25 to $0.50 per kWh.

A comparable coal plant needs 9000 tons of coal of day. The fuel costs 3.5 times more. By weight U-235 (3% enriched) fuel produces 2.5 million times more energy than coal.

The average age of the US nuclear fleet is more than 40 years. Almost every US plant now operates under a renewed license for up to 60 years, and as of September 2026 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved 80-year licenses for 25 reactors, with Nine Mile Point 1, Cooper and Ginna under review. The operating life is determined by regulation. With proper upgrades, lifetimes can be extended to 60 to 80 years with no loss in generation capacity or safety.

Almost no GHGs are produced. Unlike fossil fuel-fired plants that burn coal, gas, or oil, nuclear reactors do not produce carbon dioxide (CO2), the main GHG, during its operation. While substantial amounts of concrete and steel have been used in older reactors, newer designs and manufacturing techniques will bring down the energy input to negligible amounts. Consequently, the embedded carbon would be less than what it takes to build a solar or farm farm today.

Very safe. Nuclear power plants not only do not give off CO2, they also do not emit toxic pollution, including particulate matter (PM) or heavy metals like mercury, which causes substantial brain damage. In fact, coal-fired plants give off substantially more radioactive materials from the combustion of the fuel than from the nuclear reactors.

It is estimated that about a million lives in the US have been saved by nuclear power through the air pollution that it has averted.

No fatalities have yet to be reported on the handling of the waste or by-products in the history of nuclear power generation. In fact, nuclear “waste” is actually 96% recyclable. The by-products can be reprocessed for further power generation.

At the same time, permanent solutions to store untreated waste have been commercialized using drilling technologies that isolate the material in deep geological sites that are safe from human exposure for millions of years.

No. Nuclear fuel cannot be directly used to make nuclear weapons. The uranium that is used to make weapons are enriched to at least 90% U-235. However materials along the nuclear fuel cycle from yellowcake to spent fuel can be reprocessed to obtain weapons grade uranium.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plays a role in ensuring the peaceful use of nuclear power. According to their web site, “the IAEA fosters the efficient and safe use of nuclear power by supporting existing and new nuclear programs around the world, catalyzing innovation and building capacity in energy planning, analysis, and nuclear information and knowledge management. The Agency helps countries meet growing energy demand for development, while improving energy security, reducing environmental and health impacts, and mitigating climate change.”

The US and several other countries have been pursuing hot, dry, manufactured reactors (4th generation reactors) to improve the safety, affordability, and versatility of nuclear power. The deployment of these reactors can contribute to the use of clean energy sources that are economically competitive in both established and emerging economies.

In 2025, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency counted 127 small modular reactor designs worldwide, 51 of them in pre-licensing or licensing in 15 countries. Private capital is accelerating: advanced reactor companies raised $3.9 billion between 2020 and 2025, and fission companies raised $1.3 billion in equity in the first half of 2025 alone.