Part 1 of 2 Parts
     Many in the energy industry believe that for the U.S. to reach its net zero goals, nuclear energy needs to be one of the options. One of the major problems with nuclear energy is that its production still suffers from a lack of scalability. Isabel Naranjo is a third-year doctoral student at MIT, advised by Professor Koroush Shirvan. She says that to increase access to nuclear energy, we need to build nuclear reactors more rapidly.
     One option is to work with microreactors. These are transportable units that can be sent to areas that need clean electricity. Naranjo De Candido’s master’s thesis at MIT was supervised by Professor Jacopo Buongiorno and it focused on such reactors.
     Another way to improve access to nuclear power is to design and develop reactors that are modular. The components for such reactors can be manufactured quickly while still maintaining quality. Naranjo De Candido said, “The idea is that you apply the industrialization techniques of manufacturing, so companies produce more [nuclear] vessels, with a more predictable supply chain.” The assumption is that working with standardized designs allows the manufacture of just a few components over and over again to improve speed and reliability as well as lowering costs.
     Naranjo De Candido enrolled in a science-based high school shortly after middle school because she knew that that was the track that she enjoyed the most. She was unsure of what field of study she wanted to pursue after she graduated from high school in Padua, Italy.
     Because of her excellent grades in middle and high school, Naranjo De Candido won a full scholarship to study at the special Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy. The school only grants masters and doctoral degrees. She said, “I had to select what to study but I was unsure. I knew I was interested in engineering so I selected mechanical engineering because it’s more generic.”
     An inspirational nuclear engineering course during her studies inspired her to study nuclear engineering as part of her master’s studies in Pisa. During her time in Pisa, she traveled around the world. She went to China as part of a student exchange program. She also visited Switzerland and the U.S. for internships. She said, “I formed a good background and curriculum and that allowed me to [gain admission] to MIT.”
      During an internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Naranjo De Candido met an MIT mechanical engineering student who encouraged her to apply to the school for doctoral studies. Another mentor in the Italian nuclear sector had also suggested that she apply to MIT to pursue nuclear engineering.
    As part of her doctoral studies, Naranjo De Candido is investigating optimization of the operations and management of these small modular reactors (SMRs) so they can be efficient at all stages of their lifecycle including design, construction, operations, maintenance and decommissioning, The motivation for her research is simple. She said, “We need nuclear for climate change because we need a reliable and stable source of energy to fight climate change.”
Please read Part 2 next

Ambient office = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 160 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 161 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports (WNISR) also emphasizes the underestimated hidden costs association with nuclear power, including decommissioning expenses and liabilities for accidents. Germany, Italy, and Lithuania are all phasing out the use of nuclear power. Decommissioning costs in these three countries were estimated to be orders of magnitude higher than international estimates. In the meantime, the Japanese government estimated the cost of the 2011 Fukushima accidents at an astonishing two hundred and twenty-three billion dollars.
     Nuclear finances are even more alarming when they are compared with renewable energy sources. Renewable energy investments continue to outpace nuclear power investments. Total investments in non-hydro renewable electricity capacity reached four hundred and ninety-five billion dollars in 2022. This is fourteen times the investment in the construction of nuclear plants. Wind and Solar facilities alone generated twenty-eight percent more electricity than their nuclear counterparts. They account for eight percent of global electricity generation as compared with nuclear’s nine percent.
     In terms of levelized cost of energy (LEOE), the report indicates that nuclear power can be nearly four-times the LCOE of onshore wind power at a discount rate of ten percent. With rapidly declining firming costs, they have a combined cost of forty-five to one hundred and forty dollars per megawatt-hour. (Energy firming is how operators guarantee the output from variable and intermittent power sources, such as solar and wind, for a committed period of time.) This can be compared to new nuclear power costs at a mean of one hundred and eighty dollars per megawatt-hour.
     The global nuclear industry confronts an uncertain future. In addition, there are concerning new developments in the industrial sector. In the report, one nation stood out for going against the current as it continues to dominate the global nuclear market – Russia.
     While China leads the world in the domestic number of reactors under construction with twenty-three projects, Russia dominates the international market with twenty-four reactors under construction. This includes nineteen Russia reactors being constructed in other countries. Russia has also developed new technology, notably the first and only floating nuclear power plant in the world. However, according to the report, construction delays plague many Russian nuclear projects. 
    In addition, both Russia and China have been connected to recent revelations about cyberattacks on Sellafield which is a nuclear site located on the Cumbrian coast in the U.K., by groups with close ties to the two nations. The investigation has raised global concern about the state of cybersecurity for nuclear sites.
     The report also notes that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have not seen significant progress in the past year. There are no SMRs under construction in the western world. The most advanced SMR project in the U.S. involved the NuScale company. It was terminated in November of 2023 due to a seventy five percent increase in the cost estimate in just four years. Canada plans to construct four SMRs in Ontario. It is claimed that they will contribute eleven billion dollars to Canada’s gross domestic product.
     In conclusion, the WNISR details a sobering picture for the global nuclear power industry as it grapples with economic challenges, national policy shifts and the dominance of renewable energy alternatives. As the world transitions towards clearer and cheaper viable energy sources, nuclear power is being left behind.
     Despite these problems, recent announcements at the COP28 summit demonstrate that the nuclear industry is trying hard to remedy the situation.  Canada, France, Japan and UK backed the global nuclear supply chain, planning investments to improve uranium enrichment and conversion capacity. U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry launched an international engagement plan to advance nuclear fusion. He said the technology will be critical to the energy transition.
     There have also been new developments in international cooperation with the U.K. and the U.S. signing a collaboration agreement to develop nuclear fusion technology. The U.S. and South Korea agreed to strengthen their cooperation on civil nuclear power. This includes large-scale, small-scale and advanced reactors, decommissioning and waste management, and supply chains.

Ambient office = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 98 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Tomato from Central Market = 66 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 102 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 89 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 2 Parts
     The global nuclear industry is facing serious problems as production hits its lowest point in four decades and economic pressures rise.
     The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) has outlined the severe challenges faced by the global nuclear power sector in recent years. The report covers developments up to mid-2023. It highlights a significant decline in nuclear energy production. The percentage of global electricity generated by nuclear power has reached its lowest point in forty years. This decline is attributed to a combination of factors. These include national policy shifts, economic pressures, and the rapid growth of renewable energy alternatives.
     The WNISR points out that global nuclear power generation experienced a significant four percent decline, reaching a level not seen since the mid-1990s. The decrease outside of China was even more pronounced. With a five percent decrease, the global nuclear energy share of commercial gross electricity generation in 2022 fell to just nine percent. This is the most substantial drop since the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, a record low in the past forty years. It is notable that this share is now just above half of its peak of seventeen and half percent in 1996.
     Several major nuclear-producing countries faced similar challenges in 2022 and mid-2023. This contributed to the overall losses on the global nuclear landscape.
     In the U.S., the nuclear share of commercial electricity generation fell to eighteen percent, the lowest level in twenty-five years. In France, nuclear generation fell below its 1990 level. This resulted in France changing to a net importer of electricity for the first time since 1980. However, Frances appears to be motivated to rectify this situation. It recently led a group of twenty countries to declare that they intended to triple nuclear energy capacity from 2020 to 2050 at COP28 in Dubai.
     Belgium has closed two nuclear power reactors, one in 2022 and the other in 2023. Three more reactors are scheduled to be closed by 2025. Germany closed the last of its three operating reactors in mid-April of 2023. This completed its nuclear phase-out policy begun in 2011.
     The report mentions that the number of closed nuclear power reactors reached two hundred and twelve units as of mid-2023. Twenty-two were fully decommissioned and eleven were released from regulatory control. The report indicates that there are four hundred and seven nuclear power reactors with a total capacity of three hundred and sixty-five gigawatts operating worldwide. This represents a decrease of four reactors compared with the previous year and thirty-one units below the peak observed in 2002.
     Nuclear power faces increasing economic challenges. Lazard modeling indicates that, at discount rates over five and a half percent, nuclear power becomes the most expensive electricity generator in terms of the levelized cost of energy (LEOE).
     National developments of major nuclear power producing countries reflect this reality. The report highlights the massive governmental subsidies in the U.S. State-level taxpayer-funded subsidies are estimated to exceed fifteen billion dollars by 2030. The U.K. is currently operating only nine nuclear power reactors. The cost for the two reactors being constructed at Hinkley Point has soared to forty-four billion dollars. Grid connection for the new reactors has been delayed until June of 2027. South Korea’s state-owned utility, KEPCO, recently accumulated a record loss of twenty-five billion dollars, with a thirty two percent rise in net debt to one hundred and forty-nine billion dollars.
Please read Part 2 next

Ambient office = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Roma tomato from Central Market = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 115 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 100 nanosieverts per hour