Richard Branson urges Obama to back next-generation nuclear technology

Sir Richard Branson is urging the US government to help commercialise a controversial class of nuclear reactor, according to a letter seen by the Guardian asking for a meeting with President Barack Obama and US energy secretary Steven Chu.

The White House declined the meeting to discuss integral fast reactors (IFRs), which proponents say offer a way of dealing with nuclear waste, although no working commercial reactors are in operation.

But the move brings the intriguing prospect of a race to develop nuclear technology between Branson and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, whose new company TerraPower is developing another type of next-generation nuclear technology known as the travelling wave reactor.

"Obviously we urgently need to come up with a clean effective way of supplying our energy since not only are the dirty ways like oil running out but we need to do so to help avoid the world heating up," Branson told the Guardian.

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U.S. Energy Department Spurs Nuclear Technology

Written by: By Susan Graybeal

Article Credit: Kevin Cole

The Department of Energy announced Friday it has entered three private-public partnerships to for the development of small nuclear reaction technologies near Aiken, S.C. The partnerships are a part of the department's ongoing efforts to spur nuclear energy in America. Here are the details.

* The partnership agreements were between the DOE's Savannah River Site and Savannah River National Laboratory and SMR, a subsidiary of Hotlec International, Hyperion Power Generation and NuScale Power. The agreements will help those companies to gather information regarding a potential siting of a small nuclear reactor at Savannah River.

* In January, the department reported its intention to enter cost-sharing agreements with private companies in order to support the design and licensing of small nuclear reactors.

* At approximately one-third the size of current plants, small nuclear reactors offer a host of safety, siting, construction and economic benefits, the DOE stated. The DOE intends to fund two small nuclear reactor designs with deployment of the reactors within 10 years.

* In addition to the commitment to small nuclear reactors, the Energy Department also has announced $10 million in research funds for work to improve reactor safety, performance and cost competitiveness.

* The DOE also committed $8 billion in loan guarantees to support of the Vogtle project, which is two nuclear reactors to be built by Southern Company and Georgia Powers. An additional $200 million has been provided through a cost-share agreement to support the Vogtle license for the first nuclear power plant construction in more than thirty years.

* $170 million has also been given in research grants at 70 universities for the research and development of nuclear technologies.

* According to a Facebook posting offered by DOE Secretary Steven Chu in late February, nuclear power currently provides 20 percent of the electricity in the U.S. With an estimated 20 percent increase in overall energy demand and a 30 percent increase in electricity demand predicted over the next 25 years, Chu explained, "if we want to make a serious dent in carbon dioxide emissions -- not to mention having cleaner air and cleaner water -- then nuclear power has to be on the table."

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