Why did The Energy Gang overlook the newsworthy impact of nuclear energy on COP28?
The Energy Gang’s Dec 15 episode discussed the major outcomes from COP28.
Ed Crooks (@Ed_Crooks), Dr. Melissa Lott @mclott, and Amy Harder (@AmyAHarder) completed the show without mentioning nuclear energy. That episode of the long-running, respected energy podcast was produced just four days after a focused episode reporting on #nuclear energy’s important role at COP28. As reported during that earlier show, nuclear’s role in Dubai was so large that some even called it the nuclear COP.
As Mark Nelson reported from COP28, nuclear energy is such an important piece of the UAE’s future vision that outdoor lighting at the country’s Expo City is fashioned to look almost exactly like nuclear reactor fuel assemblies.
Perhaps The Energy Gang’s oversight was caused the jet lag or the event-induced fatigue that each of them mentioned.
Nuclear energy was a newsworthy topic during 2023 Conference of the Parties (COP28 – The recently completed annual global gathering to discuss ways to address anthropogenic climate change). There were several attention-getting actions and commitments. In addition to a 24 country declaration to triple nuclear generating capacity and a 5 major country, multi-billion dollar commitment to the nuclear fuel cycle, the host country was in the final steps of completing the Barakah nuclear power station, a massive, game-changing, 5400 MWe clean energy project.
That single project will supply 40 TWh/yr of electricity without producing any CO2 or air pollution. That’s nearly 25% of country’s electricity. It’s equivalent to the electricity production that would come from 22 GWe of solar panels. The UAE is still an energy producer, but it is no longer just an oil and gas exporter.
During the COP, the now experienced nuclear country signed numerous new nuclear research and development deals. On Dec 13, the day after COP28, Saudi Arabia hosted IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to discuss its commitment to developing a nuclear energy program as part of its path to transition away the fossil fuels that underpin its wealth and global influence.
The Energy Gang gushed over the Global StockTake’s commitment to transition away from fossil fuels, but they did not talk about the energy sources that will enable the success of that transition. 27 previous COPs have implied a reliance on renewables, energy efficiency, conservation and storage, but COP28 was the first time that nuclear energy was included in the list of technologies that need to be accelerated.
This inclusion is news and deserves discussion, even among those who may not favor the choice made during intense negotiation to include a “controversial” power source. (Admittedly, the word “nuclear” first appeared in the Global Stocktake document in paragraph 28.)
I choose to believe that the members of The Gang don’t oppose nuclear energy, but we are long past the time when we can afford to ignore this additional elephant in the room. People employed as energy reporters and climate change professors have a special responsibility to talk about technologies that can make substantive contributions to energy abundance, energy security and climate change mitigation.
Here we are, almost one-quarter through the 21st century and we are still wrangling with how, sometimes if, we talk about nuclear energy.
Aside from the usual groans when the n-word is brought up in climate-and-energy social circles, I’m wondering if the topic is avoided because of the larger more complex topics and complications it introduces? Not just the usual waste/safety/costs issues- yawn, but how nuclear technology and society relate- the opportunity, risk, and responsibilities.
To me, nuclear is an embodiment of a broader commitment- to not retreat from its challenges but to the acceptance of responsibility to manage it effectively. It’s about recognizing that the path forward requires a complex and committed approach to technology, infrastructure, and societal values. Personally, I think being challenged to cultivate excellence by embracing its potential and challenges, and committing to continuous improvement, is a good problem to have. Could this be the conversation they’re afraid to have?
Currently the UAE has a crude oil output quota of 3.22 million barrels per day. At 6.12 GJ per barrel, that amounts to 228 GW of chemical energy – fossil energy. If fuel refineries are to evolve their input from fossil energy to nuclear energy and captured CO2, an eventual investment of something like 200 NPP would be required. The UAE does have that sort of capital and perhaps that sort of vision. The oil producing nations are not doomed to obsolescence if they make that transition.