In April, there was a workshop on The Future of Nuclear Power at Environmental Progress in Berkeley Ca, led by Michael Shellenberger the author, campaigner and eco-pragmatist – who sees nuclear energy as fundamental to the future of human development, in a carbon constrained world. As well as senior figures from the US industry there were leading experts on nuclear from around the world.
The workshops addressed three questions:
- How to save existing nuclear in the US threatened by low gas prices and highly subsidised renewables?
- How to make new nuclear affordable?
- How to re-state the vision for nuclear in 21st century?
Two past students and the previous course director from the MPhil in Nuclear Energy attended: Mark Nelson who now works at Environmental Progress, Ani Mohan who works at Tandem Research, an energy consultancy in India, but currently on a fellowship in Germany and Tony Roulstone.