NuclearenergysMAGA comeback inthe AIera, from Three Mile Island to Enron

Nuclear power became a hot topic this week as President Trump floated a plan to make Ukraine’s energy grid great again by bringing in US “electricity and utility expertise” to take over its plants.Meanwhile, back at home, as artificial intelligence gobbles up ever more energy, the must-have accessory for major tech companies has become a nuclear power plant (it’s also behind the resurgence of Enron, but more on that later).Once all the rage for companies pushing an ESG-agenda, so-called “clean energy” like woke windmills and solar panels are being scrapped en masse as big tech finally admits they are unreliable and can’t provide anywhere near enough power.Microsoft has partnered with Constellation Energy to restart the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant – yes, site of a meltdown in 1979, but they’re taking over the site’s other reactor, decommissioned in 2019.Meanwhile, Amazon, Google, and Meta are also investing in nuclear energy and Apple quietly updated its definition of “clean energy” to include nuclear power last year, broadening its perspective beyond underwhelming solar, wind, and hydroelectric sources.“The big change is that tech companies went from leading a war on industrial electricity to realizing they desperately needed more electricity,” Mark Nelson, Founder & Managing Director at Radiant Energy Group told me.“Tech companies spent a decade loudly claiming that they were powered solely by renewables, undercutting both the financial and cultural foundation for the nuclear energy they’ve suddenly realized they need.”Nationwide the US has 54 commercial operating nuclear power plants in 28 states – although deep blue states have overwhelmingly caved to woke protesters and shut them down.New York-based nuclear plant, Indian Point – which once provided 25% of the state’s energy – was closed following a campaign from environmentalists in 2021, while California is moving to close its sole nuclear plant, Diabl...