Opinion

Nuclear power can help fill the gaps in a tricky energy transition

An attempt to make nuclear reactors part of an ESG pitch is a striking sign of the climate times – and one that should be welcomed.

Gillian TettContributor

Oct 10, 2021 – 11.40am

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Mike Hewitt, a former US naval rear admiral, is shuttling across the Atlantic this month to pitch a green venture to investors. Nothing unusual about that, you might think: such projects are popular ahead of next month’s COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.

However, this particular environmental project, known as IP3, has an unusual twist: it is focused on nuclear power. More specifically, Rolls-Royce, the British engineering group, is organising a consortium to install more than a dozen so-called “small modular reactors” (SMRs) across Britain.

Financial Times

Gillian Tett is chair of the editorial board and editor-at-large, US of the Financial Times. She writes weekly columns, covering a range of economic, financial, political and social issues.