What Nuclear Energy Actually Offers (The Not-So-Silver Bullet)

Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome to the final episode in my nuclear energy mini-series. Over the last three episodes, I’ve taken you through the science, the messy history, and the chaos of radioactive disasters - but today? Today I’m answering the question I’ve been dancing around since the start:

Do we actually need nuclear energy to hit our climate goals - or can we just stick with solar, wind, and good old hydropower?

As always, the answer isn’t as straightforward as we’d like (and yes, I find that annoying too). But after wading through data, opinions, politics, and a few mild threats on LinkedIn, I’ve come to a conclusion that might help you cut through.

In this episode, I talk through:

• Why nuclear is low-carbon… but still not a silver bullet

• What it really costs to build a reactor (spoiler: a lot)

• The massive difference between what’s possible in theory and what actually works in reality

• Why New Zealand should probably never go nuclear (hello, earthquakes)

• How much land and water different energy sources really use

• And the biggest roadblock to progress: not physics, not finances… but people

We also take a little trip around the world - from France’s nuclear grid to Australia’s rooftop solar obsession, from China’s reactor production line to why tiny island nations are betting big on batteries.

So - is nuclear the hero, the villain, or just a very expensive middle child?
Tune in and find out. I promise I’ll actually give you an answer at the end. Kind of.

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