A Nuclear Power Plant in Your Backyard? Future Reactors Are Going Small

Bold Names

The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2023

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The next generation of nuclear power plants could be tiny, and that could mean big things for carbon-free electricity. Several companies including NuScale Power and Bill Gates’ TerraPower are developing small modular reactors that promise to be more adaptable than the towering conventional nuclear power plants. After years of development and growing investment, the first of these next-generation reactors could go online by 2030. But will their promises to provide safe and plentiful energy live up to the hype, and overcome the economic challenges of their predecessors? WSJ’s Danny Lewis looks at what small reactors could mean for the business of nuclear power and how you get your electricity. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: [email protected] Further reading: A Futuristic Plan to Make Steel With Nuclear Fusion Nuclear Power Is Staging a Comeback, but Is It Affordable and Safe? OpenAI’s Sam Altman Is Taking a Nuclear-Energy Startup Public Nuclear Power Is Poised for a Comeback. The Problem Is Building the Reactors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	First, the bad news.
0:01.6	SAP Business AI won't generate amusing holiday cards.
0:04.7	But it will personalize career paths for your people
0:06.9	and let you know which suppliers are best,
0:08.7	so you can be ready for the next opportunity.
0:10.7	Revolutionary technology, real world results. That's SAP business AI.
0:15.0	Hey Future of Everything listeners. A quick note before we get into this episode, which is all about the future of nuclear power.
0:22.0	We want to hear from you. Do you think the U.S. should build more but smaller
0:26.3	nuclear power plants to provide electricity? Why or why not? Let us know. Email us at FOE podcast at W.S.J.com.
0:35.0	Thanks for listening.
0:36.0	Now on to the show.
0:38.0	What do you think of when you hear the words nuclear power plant?
0:45.0	If you're like me, you may have picked up a lot of what you think you know about nuclear energy from... from the Simpsons. The Simpsons.
0:57.0	That's right.
0:58.0	The Simpsons was probably my first introduction to nuclear power.
1:02.0	From Homer's day job as a nuclear safety inspector. to
1:05.0	Nucular's day job as a nuclear safety inspector. Nucular.
1:06.0	It's pronounced Nucular.
1:09.0	To Smilin Joe Fission.
1:10.0	Your atomic tour guide to the strange and Exciting World of Nuclear Power.
1:15.0	Though shockingly, the show isn't exactly scientifically accurate.
1:20.0	The US Office of Nuclear Energy actually published a brochure with a section titled Four Things the Simpsons got wrong about nuclear.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Wall Street Journal, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Wall Street Journal and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.