The Great Big Power Play
Summary
The US is witnessing a major shift in energy politics as the federal government and big tech mobilise behind nuclear power — and temporarily prop up coal — to meet booming demand from AI data centres. The Trump administration has issued executive orders to accelerate nuclear builds, ordered some coal units to stay online, and reshuffled regulators; tech giants including Microsoft, Google and Amazon have struck deals with nuclear firms and even backed reactor restarts.
Despite high-level backing and fresh investment, nuclear still faces steep practical hurdles: construction costs, long timelines and questions about valuations for small-modular-reactor startups. Coal’s short-term lifeline may not reverse its long-term decline, given the falling cost of renewables and climate reputational risks for tech companies. Internationally, countries such as China continue large renewables buildouts, highlighting the limits of a policy that leans heavily on old-school baseload sources.
Key Points
- The administration has pushed nuclear as an answer to AI’s energy needs, issuing vows to build new reactors and launching pilot programmes.
- Tech companies (Microsoft, Google, Amazon) are signing deals with nuclear firms and supporting reactor restarts, including high-profile projects like Three Mile Island.
- Coal plants have received temporary reprieves and regulatory rollbacks to keep plants online for AI demand, but most big utilities continue to cut coal exposure.
- Main barriers for nuclear remain high construction costs and uncertain timelines, not solely regulatory burdens.
- Renewables — utility-scale solar and onshore wind — remain among the cheapest electricity sources, challenging long-term prospects for both coal and new nuclear builds.
- Global competition matters: China is rapidly expanding renewables, underlining that US energy policy choices may not be enough to secure an AI-energy advantage.
Context and Relevance
This piece explains how the AI boom is reshaping energy policy and who’s paying attention: governments, utilities and Big Tech. It’s relevant for readers tracking climate policy, data-centre expansion, infrastructure investment and the geopolitics of technological competition. The article situates recent US policy moves within broader market realities (costs, timelines, public opinion) and global trends, making clear that political momentum alone won’t resolve the economics of power generation.
Why should I read this?
Look — if you want a sharp, no-nonsense snapshot of why AI is suddenly driving headline energy decisions, this is it. The story lays out who’s backing nuclear, why coal got a temporary stay of execution, and what actually stands in the way of either becoming the backbone of tomorrow’s data centres. Short version: politics is loud, markets are stubborn. Worth a quick read.
Source
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/expired-tired-wired-nuclear-plants/