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Safer Nuclear Ambitions

Keith Kohl

Written By Keith Kohl

Posted July 12, 2012

On the whole, energy has it rough.

When you really think about it, it’s nearly impossible to come up with a single source that doesn’t receive a bit of negative attention…

We’ve all read the reports and seen the stories splayed in the mainstream media.

The obvious one that comes to mind has been a topic we’ve covered several times: the war taking place over hydraulic fracturing.

By now, we’re painfully aware that banning it completely would put an abrupt end to the domestic oil and gas boom we’ve been enjoying since 2008.

Nine out of every ten natural gas wells in the United States need to receive some form of fracture stimulation. There would be severe repercussions without this method. 

Then we have offshore drilling, which has been slammed in the media since BP’s Deepwater Horizon incident took place in 2010 — and rightfully so.

It took more than two years for activity to pick up again, but more and more rigs are coming back these days. Even BP is drilling again in Gulf waters.

At last count, there were almost 50 rigs operating in water deeper than 500 feet, and last month’s lease sale brought in almost $2 billion — the most since April 2010.

But don’t think for a second that fossil fuels are the only culprits…

Clean energy is also under harsh scrutiny.

Among the most common complaints is that renewable sources are simply too expensive to compete with oil, coal, and gas.

But cost has never been my biggest concern.

For me, it comes down to scale.

With 7 billion people now on the planet, it might start to feel a little crowded. By 2040, that number will grow by another 2 billion.

Generating enough electricity from just a few sources to meet those future energy demands is a pipe dream… and meeting it only with renewables is impossible.

So, where do we turn?

The Nuclear Image

For most people, the mere mention of nuclear energy usually conjures up images of world wars and huge mushroom clouds rolling across the skyline…

Or maybe it’s a power plant explosion of such magnitude that it’s classified as a Level 7 event.

There have actually been two of those within the last 25 years. It took half a million workers to contain the first in 1986 at the Chernobyl plant, which has been a blight on the nuclear industry ever since.

Chances are the word “nuclear” also calls to mind the most recent catastrophe at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. 

So it’s not surprising most people have a hard time looking beyond these horrific images to see nuclear as one of the few clean energy sources with enough potential to meet our future demand on a global scale.

Despite its tarnished image, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind we’ll continue to develop nuclear technology.

“Eventually, we’re going to come to turns with nuclear energy,” I told readers more than two years ago.

My feelings haven’t changed in the least.

Right now, there are 433 reactors operating across the world, with another 160 already planned or on order — and an additional 329 have been proposed. China and India alone account for half of those proposed reactors.

What this means is within 15 years — the estimated length of time it takes for these proposed plants to begin operating — China could increase its nuclear power by more than 1,000%.

And as Nick Hodge mentioned yesterday, Japan is still hoping to restart their nuclear program soon, even after the tragic accident at Fukushima.

Safer Nuclear Ambitions

The difference in nuclear projects going forward will be the focus on the development of safety.

So where’s does the safe part come into play?

That’s the easy part — especially for investors.

In the past, we’ve always looked for the kind of technological advancements that take an industry to the next level.

And that’s where my colleague Jeff Siegel comes into the picture.

A few days ago, Jeff stopped by my desk to tell me he had found exactly what the nuclear industry has been looking for…

In fact, had this technology been in place decades ago, we could have completely avoided the horrible disasters that happened at Chernobyl and Fukushima.

It only took a few minutes to convince me. And the entire time he was describing the possibilities this technology brings to the table, I could actually see his eyes lighting up at the prospect of this opportunity — in solving the looming energy crisis and for early investors.

What was it that has Jeff so excited?

You guessed it — safer nuclear power.

Learn more about the technology that could reinvent the nuclear industry right here.

Until next time,

Keith Kohl Signature

Keith Kohl

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A true insider in the technology and energy markets, Keith’s research has helped everyday investors capitalize from the rapid adoption of new technology trends and energy transitions. Keith connects with hundreds of thousands of readers as the Managing Editor of Energy & Capital, as well as the investment director of Angel Publishing’s Energy Investor and Technology and Opportunity.

For nearly two decades, Keith has been providing in-depth coverage of the hottest investment trends before they go mainstream — from the shale oil and gas boom in the United States to the red-hot EV revolution currently underway. Keith and his readers have banked hundreds of winning trades on the 5G rollout and on key advancements in robotics and AI technology.

Keith’s keen trading acumen and investment research also extend all the way into the complex biotech sector, where he and his readers take advantage of the newest and most groundbreaking medical therapies being developed by nearly 1,000 biotech companies. His network includes hundreds of experts, from M.D.s and Ph.D.s to lab scientists grinding out the latest medical technology and treatments. You can join his vast investment community and target the most profitable biotech stocks in Keith’s Topline Trader advisory newsletter.

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