December 2nd was World Nuclear Power Day. Everyone‌ ‌loves‌ ‌the‌ ‌party‌ ‌game/icebreaker‌ ‌“two‌ ‌truths‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌lie.”‌ ‌ Let’s test how much you know about nuclear energy!

A. Nuclear energy is the most reliable source of energy in the world.
B. Russia and China are winning the race to nuclear modernization.
C. Nuclear energy is not a “clean” form of energy.

A. TRUE! Nuclear power can provide uninterrupted electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nuclear power plants are about “1.5 to 2 times more reliable as natural gas (57%) and coal (48%) plants, and roughly 2.5 to 3.5 times more reliable than wind (35%) and solar (25%) plants.”

B. TRUE! Nuclear energy isn’t just good for the environment. It’s good for our national security, too. Unfortunately, the U.S. has ceded leadership to China and Russia in this space, which are both developing and exporting advanced reactors around the world at a far greater pace than the U.S. This leaves our allies and adversaries relying on China and Russia for their electricity, giving Russia and China geopolitical advantages over the U.S. while leaving much of the world’s population vulnerable to state-controlled energy production.

Investing and modernizing the licensing process for U.S. advanced nuclear development is a win-win. It’s good for the environment and good for our national security.

C. FALSE! Nuclear power is one of the cleanest forms of energy production. Because nothing is burned, there are no emissions. Already, nuclear energy supplies 20% of all U.S. electricity and more than half of our nation’s clean power. That’s more than four times as much as wind and solar combined. Though nuclear power doesn’t qualify as a “renewable” source of energy, it remains to this day the most promising source of zero-emission energy.

Bottom Line:

Nuclear power is a key component of the U.S. power grid. In the past 60 years, it has helped produce reliable, carbon-free electricity in 29 U.S. states. In the fight to reduce global carbon emissions, nuclear power is perhaps the most promising source.