China, the world’s number two economy, has added 37 reactors to its nuclear power arsenal in the last decade, while the US is gradually winding down its older nuclear power facilities.
Reports indicate the US has only built one new nuclear energy facility in the last 30 years. By 2025, China’s nuclear power capacity will have caught up to that of France, and by 2030, it will have caught up to that of the US.
Francois Morin, the China director of the World Nuclear Association, claims that demand is the driving force behind China’s nuclear expansion.
U.S. energy demands are rising, mirroring China’s. In lieu of increasing its reliance on nuclear power and fossil fuels, the US is shifting its energy strategy to prioritize intermittent renewables like solar and wind power while decreasing its use of more dependable sources.
With the permanent closure of twelve reactors in the United States since 2012, the total number of commercial nuclear reactors now operational has dropped to 93.
According to the Energy Information Administration, nuclear power is projected to account for only 12% of the energy grid in the United States by the year 2050. There will be a gradual rise to 18% by next year from solar and wind power.
With President Biden’s push to phase out all fossil fuels in the power grid, including natural gas, nuclear power has become an increasingly insignificant component of US energy.
According to a November report by the North American Electric Reliability Corp., the US system is vulnerable this winter due to the decreasing reliance on stable energy sources.
According to Mark Olson, the manager of reliability evaluations at the nonprofit organization, the increasing presence of intermittent resources on the distribution system, such as solar production, makes load forecasting much more complicated and unpredictable.
China is constructing more nuclear power stations and coal plants to keep up with its rapidly increasing energy demands. According to Morin, China can now build nuclear reactors with the help of Western technology that it has adapted and improved upon.
Reports show that upon becoming president, Joe Biden immediately set out to undo the energy renaissance of former President Donald Trump. This renaissance brought the US energy independence.
Biden has increased American energy prices and made the nation rely on foreign companies to meet our energy demands via regulatory and executive order tactics.
