Al Gore says AI's surging electricity demand merits giving nuclear power a fresh look — even with whathe thinks is a persistently hefty price tag.
Why it matters: The former VP and famous environmentalist's perspective on nuclear has evolved.
- It encapsulates the tricky position nuclear occupies in our broader energy and climate debate.
State of play: "The surge in demand for electricity is causing some reanalysis of what role nuclear might play when you have large, wealthy, consumer-facing businesses that need enormous amounts of new power," Gore said in an exclusive interview with Axios.
- "For a variety of reasons, it has priced itself out of the market as the market used to exist. Now the market is different," Gore said, implying that hyperscalers building data centers would be able to stomach higher prices.
The big picture: Nuclear power, one of the world's biggest sources of steady, zero-emitting electricity, has been largely stagnant over the last few decades.
- This has been driven, at least partly, by a few isolated — but high-profile — accidents that prompted long regulatory reviews that then hiked prices.
- Rising power thirst is fueling talk of a U.S. nuclear resurgence. So is strong Trump administration backing.
- Jarrod Agen, a senior White House official, extolled nuclear's benefits at an Axios event yesterday at Climate Week in New York.
Yes, but: Gore said the resurgence might not come from small modular reactors (SMRs) due to their price tag.
- "Some of the most responsible policy analysts that I respect are now shifting back away from SMRs as maybe a technological dead end again," Gore said.
Catch up quick: A handful of new SMR technologies are under development — including in the U.S. — but they remain the exception to trends around the world where larger reactors are being built, especially in China.
Flashback: In 2000, as vice president, Gore said he didn't support an increased reliance on nuclear power, according to an article by the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, an anti-nuclear nonprofit.
- He cited nuclear's high costs as the reason why he predicted in 2012 it would play a "limited role" in our future energy mix.
My thought bubble: I don't reference these articles to criticize his changing position, but to show how much has changed in our world such that it compels even people at Gore's level to rethink their positions.
The bottom line: Gore's bullish-with-a-caveat position shows the potential resurgence of nuclear power. But past precedent suggests plenty of hurdles lie ahead.
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