For Nuke Cues, Look to France

US could benefit much from French approach to nuclear power, Times columnist writes
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 24, 2008 12:56 PM CST
For Nuke Cues, Look to France
France's Areva Nuclear Power company CEO Anne Lauvergeon, sometimes called "Atomic Annie," shakes hands with China's Electricity Power Plant Company President Qian Zhimin in this file photo. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)   (Associated Press)

Her name is Anne Lauvergeon, but because she’s spearheaded France’s nuclear revolution, commentators call her “Atomic Anne.” And the US desperately needs someone like her, writes the New York Times’ Roger Cohen. Thanks to Lauvergeon’s advocacy, France has thrown aside nuclear jitters, and now gets 80% of its electricity from nuclear plants—compared to 20% in the US.

Cohen knows that nuclear is still a dirty word in the US, evoking Chernobyl images and nuclear-waste worries, but with climate change escalating, we can’t keep getting 50% of our power from coal, Cohen says. Lauvergeon’s company is building newer, cheaper, lower-waste facilities, both in France and around the world, and the US should be a client. Vive les Nukes! (More nuclear power stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X