In her reflection on COP27, panelist Carol Berrigan, the executive director of federal programs and supplier relationships at the Nuclear Energy Institute, observed that “the conversation around nuclear power is much different than it was 10 years ago.” Berrigan added, “We are getting stronger and stronger support” as more “people are recognizing that clean nuclear will play a big role in the world’s energy future.” Berrigan specifically pointed out the growing number of bills in U.S. state legislatures that support nuclear power as well as strong bipartisan support in Congress. It is worth noting that the Inflation Reduction Act includes power production tax credits that would help nuclear generators compete with already highly subsidized solar and wind power. (Here’s an idea: Just get rid of all energy subsidies.)

Both the low-carbon future panel and replacing fossil fuels panel at COP27 were highly bullish on the development and deployment of SMRs. SMRs are designed to be safe, deliver power flexibly, and manufactured at scale. Granholm cited the 345-megawatt Natrium demonstration reactor being built on the site of an old coal-fired plant in Wyoming. Besides generating 24/7 power, the plant will also store enough heat in molten salt to generate an extra 150 megawatts on demand that could keep up with the vagaries of wind and solar generation. The panelists pointed out that SMRs can be designed to replace fossil fuels by providing process heat for making steel, concrete, and chemicals. In addition, when not necessary for them to supply electricity to the grid, they can be used for desalination and the production of hydrogen. “We can decarbonize the entire economy,” boldly declared Sama Bilbao y León, the director general of the World Nuclear Association. Here’s a question: Since no-carbon nuclear power is 24/7 and can supply process heat, just exactly why does the world need to deploy massive amounts of land- and materials-intensive renewables to address the problem of manmade climate change?

So, is economic development possible without fossil fuels? “Development and industrialization have never happened without heavy reliance on fossil fuels,” observed Cameron. Nevertheless, she believes that advanced nuclear technologies could leapfrog fossil fuels.