In Episode 96 of "The Energy Question" David Blackmon and Doug Robison, CEO of Natura Resources delve into the future of nuclear energy, exploring its potential to meet growing power demands while addressing climate concerns. They discuss the industry's challenges and opportunities, emphasizing the need for policy support and public perception shifts to drive its adoption.
Highlights of the Podcast
01:10 - Douglass Robinson's background
04:59 - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
07:29 - Best in the nuclear world in the oil and gas
08:47 - First advanced nuclear reactor facility
10:16 - The reactor
13:17 - The safety record of the of the nuclear industry in the US
17:11 - A request for information
19:25 - ESG
22:07 - The Texas Energy Fund
23:53 - Clean air capture
25:15 - What would happen with nuclear if Trump wins this election in November?
30:17 - What's next for Natura's project?
Enjoy!
I just watched this on YouTube and found it to be very interesting conversation. I absolutely agree that the demonization of coal and the rate of decommissioning of existing coal plants is a recipe for disaster. We urgently need new SC/USC coal power plants.
Regarding the discussion around nuclear - I have a few disagreements. I think it is a mistake - as the guest said - to "wait for new nuclear to prove itself." The NRC needs to abandon its rejectionist attitude toward nuclear. It needs to create the conditions that enable the construction of new conventional pressurized water reactors. We need this capacity right away - as the saying goes "yesterday." Furthermore the PWR is a proven technology with many decades of know how that has resulted in the very high capacity factors of the existing fleet. There is absolutely no guarantee that any of the new nuclear technologies will be able to match this performance once they come online. And it is very likely that it will take many years for them to achieve the critical mass of operational know-how to match the capacity factors that the current nuclear fleet enjoys.
So in conclusion, bring on a new fleet of PWRs in the short term, and in the meantime allow the the emerging technologies to mature.
This is a great discussion.
Let’s hope the permits can be granted without undue politician interference and blathering and grandstanding.
I am anxious to see how the scalability of this design works and how the construction plans can be optimized.
Natura has done some great work and it is not just academic paper printing but actual physical work!