Nuclear power has to be a part of a country’s energy portfolio if carbon dioxide emissions are to be reduced and climate goals met, US assistant secretary for the office of nuclear energy Rita Baranwal told a webinar on 14 May.

Ms Baranwal told the webinar, arranged and hosted by the Nuclear Energy Agency, that advances in engineering, robotics and computing are opening “a world of different avenues” the nuclear industry can exploit to improve the technology it offers.

“Nuclear is and has always been emissions-free and now is time to brag about that,” Ms Baranwal said. “Fifty-five percent of the US’s clean energy comes from nuclear, but nuclear plants are only generating 20% of electricity. That’s a really big pay-off,” she said.