For AI and Data Centers, the Near Future Belongs to Natural Gas

A modern natural gas power plant operated by Entergy.

Writing at the Epoch Times, former EnCana President Gwyn Morgan lays out some of the many problems and roadblocks on the path to a renaissance in nuclear energy in the US and North America envisioned by many.

Here are some of the points Morgan makes in his story:

Nuclear power’s limitations are rooted in its costs, risks, and delays. Even under ideal circumstances, building or restarting a nuclear facility is arduous. Consider Microsoft’s much-publicized plan to restart the long-dormant Unit 1 reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. This project is lauded as proof of an incipient “nuclear revival,” but despite leveraging existing infrastructure it will cost US$1.6 billion and take four years to bring online.

…

The new generation of small modular reactors (SMRs), often touted as a game-changer, is still largely theoretical. In Canada—Alberta in particular—discussions around SMRs have been ongoing for years, with no concrete progress. The most optimistic projections estimate the first SMR in Western Canada might be operational by 2034.

…

The reality is that nuclear energy cannot scale quickly enough to meet urgent electricity needs. Canada’s power grid is already strained, and electricity demand is set to grow significantly, driven by electric vehicles and enormous data centres for AI applications. Nuclear power, even if expanded aggressively, cannot fill the gap within the necessary time frames.

[End]

Morgan asserts that, as a result of these and other roadblocks - like long permitting lead times - the foreseeable future for North American baseload power generation growth will belong to natural gas, not nuclear.

He isn’t wrong.