ABC News’ Trevor Ault speaks with former acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Edward McGinnis about the dangers in Ukraine as nuclear facilities fall under control of Russia.
Ed McGinnis, CURIO™ CEO and former Department of Energy acting assistant secretary for nuclear energy, joins ‘Power Lunch’ to discuss Russia’s strikes against a Russian nuclear plant, the importance of nuclear power and more.
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It’s Time for a Homegrown U.S. Nuclear Manufacturing Base
On January 16, 2019, acting as assistant secretary for nuclear energy, I testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the state of U.S. nuclear technology development. I indicated that American nuclear was declining faster than anticipated. I explained that “sustaining the current fleet of operating nuclear power plants is a priority for the nation because without a robust nuclear industry, we will not be able to reestablish…U.S.-based supply chains, nor maintain the…infrastructure and workforce necessary for a vibrant civilian nuclear industry.”
Fast forward to 2022, and reactor closures are hampering the nation’s greenhouse gas reduction efforts. Case in point, the 2021 closure of Indian Point, New York, increased the state’s emissions by 30 percent! Meanwhile, China’s reactor fleet is quickly growing and will become the world’s largest by 2026.
“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” How many times have we heard this expression?
There are endless polarizing debates including how and where to store nuclear waste safely for 10,000-plus years (due to radiation levels harmful to humans). But little attention is given to the fact that only 4% of the energy value has been consumed from our used nuclear fuel, which is actually a national treasure. In fact, the amount of untapped energy in America’s used nuclear fuel could power the world for almost 20 years. That’s the mother lode of clean energy.
So how do we tap into this fantastic clean energy source? It’s clear as day: We recycle it.