I really, really hate wind and solar power. Most people dislike them because they are unreliable, expensive, and need taxpayer subsidies. I hate them because they are harmful to animals, especially birds. I adore birds. A lot of left-leaning countries had been going away from nuclear power towards green energy, and so I’m delighted to report that some of them are now returning to it.

Here’s the most recent news about Canada, from far-left Bloomberg News: (archive)

Nuclear energy is gaining significant momentum in Ontario, with new plans to expand an existing plant to become the world’s largest and a pledge to add three small modular reactors to a site where another is already being built.

The news marks a shift for an industry that has been stalled for decades amid fears about safety and cost overruns. It’s also seen as a critical step in modernizing an aging power grid that needs to add capacity without boosting already-high electricity costs, or threatening emissions goals.

[…]The newly announced expansion at the Bruce Power facility marks the first large-scale nuclear build in Canada in over three decades, suggesting nuclear policy may finally be becoming unstuck. The province is home to all but one of the country’s 19 nuclear reactors, most of which were built from the 1960s to 1980s, during which time the Candu reactor became a global favorite.

The article notes one of the problems with wind and solar – the need to meet “base-load demand”:

Once complete, the nuclear projects will… lessen the need to use wind and solar power to meet base-load demand — the minimum level of power needed from an electrical grid at any time — which contributes to a costly mismatch between supply and demand.

Electricity demand typically ramps up in the morning, peaks late afternoon, and tapers off at night. But supply from intermittent renewables like wind and solar is weather-dependent, and therefore less reliable at meeting the demand of the hour. Sometimes intermittent sources generate less power than is needed, and sometimes more — in which case operators may need to pause generation at certain plants to avoid overloading the system.

Now let’s see France. This article from Euractiv is from May 2023:

A bill to speed up the construction of new nuclear reactors was approved by the French parliament on Tuesday (16 May), with the government hailing it as an environmental step forward.

[…]Once it comes into force, the new law will speed up the construction of new nuclear reactors by simplifying the required administrative procedures and planning documents. The Energy Transition Ministry expects future construction times to be reduced by at least two years.

In addition, a 50% cap on nuclear power’s share of France’s electricity mix was removed.

And finally, Japan. This article is from July 2023, from far-left Bloomberg News. (archive)

Japan’s government is considering a plan to help subsidize required upgrades at idled nuclear power plants, in the latest move to quickly boost the nation’s atomic energy.

Under the proposed plan, existing nuclear plants would be able to participate in an auction next year to receive subsidies for necessary upgrades to meet the country’s safety standards, according to documents from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Projects selected would then get a subsidy for 20 years to help cover costs, the document said.

[…]The government is ramping up an effort to restart reactors to help cut imports of pricey fossil fuels, bolster power supplies and curb pollution.

I’m really hopeful that people will give up on wind and solar power, and turn to zero-emission fracking and nuclear for our electricity needs. That’s much better for the environment and for the animals than wind and solar.