Nuclear power has become a hot topic this week as President Trump has raised plans to make Ukraine great again.
Meanwhile, returning home, as artificial intelligence further increases energy, the essential accessories for major high-tech companies have become nuclear power plants (also behind the revival of Enron, but that goes further later).
All the rage of companies pushing ESG-Agenda has been discarded in large quantities as they acknowledge that so-called “clean energy” like awakened windmill and solar panels are ultimately unreliable and unable to get close to enough power.
Microsoft partnered with Constellation Energy to reopen the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979.
Meanwhile, Amazon, Google and Meta are also investing in nuclear energy, and Apple quietly updated its definition of “clean energy,” including nuclear power generation last year, expanding its perspective beyond overwhelming solar, wind and hydropower sources.
“The big change is that as tech companies lead the war with industrial power, they realize they need more electricity,” Mark Nelson, founder and managing director of Radiant Energy Group, told me.
“Tech companies have spent a decade loudly swearing that they only have renewable energy, lowering both the financial and cultural foundations of nuclear energy that they suddenly realised.”
There are 54 commercially operated nuclear power plants in 28 states across the country, but the deep blue states are overwhelmingly trying to awaken protesters and close them.
Indian Point, a New York-based nuclear power plant (which once provided 25% of the state's energy), closed in 2021 after a campaign from environmentalists, but California is about to close Diablo Canyon, the only nuclear power plant this year.
However, McKinsey's research shows that in response to AI demands, the US will have to dramatically increase energy production over the next few years if it is estimated that it will rise from ingesting 4% of the country's electricity at 12%.
Nuclear energy, when done correctly, provides a powerful, low-carbon, clean source of electricity. The only concern is when things aren't done correctly (see Chernobyl or Fukushima) – but with today's advanced technology, the risk is less than ever.
Large tech companies are leading new investments to develop nuclear sites (previously energy companies go on their own), but they are jocking part of the nuclear pie, seeing potential dollar signs.
Perhaps it's the strangest? Enron. Yes, the former Texas electricity giant behind the biggest accounting scam of the time rose from the ashes. Nuclear power is a big part of its comeback.
Enron's new CEO, 28-year-old Connor Gaidos, has gained fame as an internet troll by co-writing the satirical book, “The Birds Are Not Real.”
With that in mind, it's hard to know if he's serious when he tells me.
“The current structure is failing right away. It's no longer fun to come up with solutions. That's a must.”
A source with the company says he is serious and the company has submitted an application to Texas regulators to start providing energy to residents. They also hired longtime energy executive Gregory Forrego (formerly at Constellation) to oversee the transition to retail electricity with plans to expand to the Northern United States over the next few years.
And if Elon Musk's hypothesis “The most interesting outcome is most likely, especially when it's ironic,” is true, then does Enron have a real shot?
