April 12, 2023
Why America and the World Need Nuclear Power
Aside from environmental concerns, there is no other realistic way to scale up energy supply to meet expected future demand.
by Todd Royal
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), in its International Energy Outlook 2021 report, notes trends in global energy supply, demand, and emissions to 2050 that forecast the need for nuclear power. The report projects world energy consumption to rise around 50 percent by 2050, due to strong economic growth, increased access to energy and electricity, and rapid population growth in non-Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and continents. CO2 equivalent and emissions (CO2e), which excludes emission changes from land use changes and forestry, are projected to grow in OECD countries by approximately 5 percent and in non-OECD countries by 35 percent between 2019 and 2050.
Meeting this projected demand will be a herculean challenge, especially if we require such energy to be clean. In fact, zero-carbon electrical generation that comes from nuclear power is the only scalable solution that can meet the necessary requirements (higher energy use, manageable costs, lower emissions, and improved global energy security).
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-america-and-world-need-nuclear-power-206395
