Energy secretary touts 'nuclear renaissance,' criticizes role of wind and solar

Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy, said the administration is pursuing an ambitious program to revive nuclear power and that two next-generation reactors have already gone "critical," with more expected soon.

"Go critical means a a controlled self-sustaining chain reaction," Wright said when the host asked him to define the term. He said two test reactors have already reached that state and that a third would do so "in the next few days," adding it is "not impossible" that a fourth will follow before the administration's July 4 target. Wright framed those milestones as part of a broader effort to rebuild supply chains and workforce capacity for both large and small modular reactors.

Wright also said some of the next-generation reactors will begin producing commercial electricity sooner than commonly expected. "We will get electricity that's being used for commercial purposes from these reactors next year," he said, a claim he presented as a central proof point for a 'nuclear renaissance.' He cited Idaho National Laboratory and private companies as central to the push.

On other technologies, Wright praised next-generation geothermal projects, citing a 400-megawatt plant under construction in Utah as an example of a firm renewable source that can deliver continuous energy. He criticized wind and solar for what he described as large land and material requirements, dependence on nonrenewable inputs and the need for ongoing subsidies. "We spend 10 or 15 cents to save 2 cents," he said, arguing that variable renewables can provide little value at peak demand unless paired with firm capacity.

To illustrate his point about reliability at peak hours, Wright cited a New England cold front on Jan. 27 and said that at peak demand that day, about 2% of electricity came from wind, solar and batteries combined while more came from burning waste and wood. He also said long subsidy programs have not shifted global primary energy shares as he expected: "$10 trillion spent globally and they're 3% of global primary energy," he commented.

The host's questions and Wright's characterizations described goals and technical terms that Wright framed as achievable in the near term; those production and timing figures were presented by Wright during the interview and are reported here as his statements. The Department of Energy and private developers will continue to be the primary sources for verification of milestones and commercial-generation dates.