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As of July 16, Cipher has concluded its publication of new content after nearly four years of delivering clear, solutions-focused journalism on climate and energy. For the remainder of 2025, all existing Cipher content will remain accessible for readers and available to republish for free with attribution. To follow Cipher's journalists in their next chapters, click here.

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Nuclear

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A photo of an older man wearing glasses, looking up hopefully with a little smile on his face. He wears a suit and tie and the light around him is purple. There are other people and screens out of focus in the background. — Exclusive: Bill Gates on Trump’s big bill, AI and more
Gates told Cipher in an exclusive interview that the Trump administration’s recently enacted law rolling back many climate incentives was not as bad as could have been expected. Latest News
Amy Harder 3 min read

A collage that includes the state of Michigan, a drawing of a lake and a black and white photo of a nuclear power plant. — New horizons for nuclear power on the banks of Lake Michigan
The Palisades nuclear power plant is getting a second act. It’s a sign of new investment and interest taking hold in the nuclear industry. Latest News
Cat Clifford 5 min read

An illustration of a notebook open on a table with the words — A behind-the-scenes tour of the world’s biggest nuclear power plant
A reporter gets a look inside efforts to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear facility in Japan, the world’s largest nuclear power plant. Reporter's Notebook
Bill Spindle 4 min read

A photo of a beach and a blustery sea, with a large industrial facility visible behind some haze in the background. — At world’s biggest nuclear plant, how to restart a giant
Building a new nuclear plant takes billions of dollars and many years. One way to potentially speed up that process is to restart existing nuclear plants. Latest News
Bill Spindle 5 min read

With Trump’s support, nuclear energy eyes a revival

Amid its high-profile embrace of fossil fuels, the Trump administration is also backing nuclear energy, a carbon-free and steady source of power with enduring bipartisan support. The commitment is coming at a key time for the sector. Latest News

Cat Clifford 6 min read

An illustration of a nuclear cooling tower with a ladder on it and a construction barrier in front of it, with packing boxes surrounding it. There are also boxes on the tower with drawings of President Trump, a checklist and the U.S. Capitol building. The background is green.

China on track to dominate nuclear energy

China leads, by far, in nuclear energy capacity under construction. Within five years, it is forecasted to overtake the U.S. and Europe to be the world's top nuclear power. Data Dives

Cat Clifford 2 min read

An illustration of a sideways bar chart in the foreground with a picture of a nuclear power plant from the air in the evening time in the background.

National pride at a wilderness park and a research lab

Cat Clifford experienced some unexpected pride when she visited a wilderness area in the northern United States and a national lab in California last year. Reporter's Notebook

Cat Clifford 3 min read

An illustration of a notebook with the words

Meet the unflappable physicist helping make fusion possible

Fusion could, if scaled up, promise a virtually unlimited, low-carbon and reliable source of power. Getting there will require more leadership from people like Richard Town. Latest News

Cat Clifford 5 min read

Richard Town, who leads the inertial confinement fusion program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, standing inside the National Ignition Facility at Livermore.

The world’s fastest supercomputer is accelerating efforts to bring star power to Earth

Across the fusion industry, advances in artificial intelligence are helping unlock new frontiers. AI is also, perhaps ironically, driving up demand for the kind of electricity fusion could provide. Latest News

Cat Clifford 6 min read

Photo inside the chamber at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

2025 climate solutions trends: Scrutiny, humility and surprises (probably!)

Amy Harder shares the five global climate solutions trends she's watching in 2025. Harder Line

Amy Harder 5 min read

An illustration of the year

Rounding up the best of Cipher in 2024

This was a big year for the energy transition and a busy year for Cipher. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite articles from 2024 and offer them to you here for easy reading. Latest News

Cipher Staff 4 min read

A collage of many illustrations with a thin blue overlay and

Analysis: A reporter hears echoes of the past in Japan’s net zero strategy

In the 1990s, Bill Spindle covered Japan's economic collapse. Returning again this year to report on Japan's energy transition, he picked up on some familiar narratives. Reporter's Notebook

Bill Spindle 3 min read

An illustration that shows Mt. Fuji in Japan twice, once in a photo that looks old and once in a photo that looks more recent, with solar panels in the foreground. There's also a large red circle behind the photos and the background is white, invoking the Japanese flag.

Japan’s idled nuclear plants increasingly eyed as a clean energy source

In a world scrambling for carbon-free electricity, nuclear power has stormed back into vogue. But these reactors don’t get built quickly or easily. Japan’s idle nuclear facilities make up one of the largest pools of ready, carbon-free energy potential in the world. Latest News

Bill Spindle 5 min read

A photo of a large industrial plant (a nuclear power plant) in the distance next to a large body of water. In the foreground, there are houses clustered on a hill.

Progress under a microscope at New York Climate Week

Cipher’s team was on the ground in the Big Apple. In all the chaos and busyness, here’s what stood out to our reporters. Latest News

Cipher Staff 6 min read

Photo of traffic in NYC, a sign above the traffic warns of gridlock.

Nuclear energy could undergo a renaissance. Here’s what to know.

So much innovation is happening in the nuclear industry right now. There is fresh optimism about new ways nuclear power can help decarbonize global economies. And, at the same time, the nuclear industry must show it is up to the challenge. Explainers

Cat Clifford 11 min read

Renewed interest in nuclear energy bolsters uranium prices

The price per pound of uranium has more than tripled over the past four years as interest in nuclear power has grown. Data Dives

Cat Clifford 2 min read

An illustration of a line chart with coins stacked up underneath it.

Surging power demand fuels new nuclear interest, federal funding

The exploding global demand for energy, combined with the urgent race to reduce carbon emissions, is focusing interest and investment on the once-staid, long-stagnant nuclear industry. Latest News

Cat Clifford 5 min read

An illustration with a blue background showing a renaissance statue and two types of nuclear reactors.

How to understand new nuclear energy

The nuclear industry is attempting to reinvent itself. To meet growing demand for clean, always-on energy, companies and governments are developing innovative nuclear plants that come in smaller sizes and use more advanced, and potentially safer, technologies. Explainers

Cat Clifford 6 min read

A hand from above reaches down and selects the medium size of three cups; there is also one small and one large, and they all have a nuclear power symbol on them.

Scale matters. Let’s talk about it.

Grasping the enormity of our energy systems and the challenge of transitioning to clean energy is like trying to imagine how many teaspoons of saltwater make up the ocean. Latest News

Cat Clifford 6 min read

Illustration of a large, white factory building in a desert surrounded by mountains.

Time to end the World Bank’s nuclear blind spot

Every credible vision of a high-energy, low-carbon future includes a meaningful role for nuclear power. Despite growing interest in the technology, the World Bank won't even talk about it. Voices

Todd Moss 3 min read

A man covers his eyes so that he can't see a nuclear power plant nearby. Illustration with a red background.

Fusion power takes a commercial turn

The quest to create fusion energy — the engine that powers the stars — has overcome many challenges. Now comes perhaps the biggest: How to make money with it? Latest News

Bill Spindle 4 min read

Inside a nuclear fusion facility that is being constructed. There is a large hole in the concrete floor where the reactor will eventually go, and a drawing of the reactor on the wall opposite the hole.

The realities of supplying abundant clean energy

We are inadvertently creating systems that either will not eliminate CO2, or will produce less abundant and less reliable energy. The solution is to focus on the complete energy system. Voices

W.D. Budinger & Paul Bauman 3 min read

Illustration of nuclear energy plant, wind turbines and solar panels.

In Dubai at COP28, nuclear fusion makes first-ever appearance

Universal fanfare over nuclear fusion was a counterpoint to often frustrated clashes at COP28 over the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition. Latest News

Bill Spindle 4 min read

Gabriela Hearst, Bob Mumgaard and Ernest Moniz on a panel at COP28

Exclusive: U.S. pushes to ensure nuclear “is not forgotten” in COP renewables pledge

It’s also pushing for language that recognizes the need to halt investments in new coal power plants. Latest News

Anca Gurzu 3 min read

Aerial view of a nuclear power plant in France.

Nuclear support grows amid push for clean hydrogen

The United States’ first hydrogen plant fueled by nuclear energy has just powered up in New York. The moment reflects two trends converging in the past few years. Latest News

Amena H. Saiyid 3 min read

Hydro, nuclear provide bulk of world’s zero-emitting power

This chart is a reminder of the historically dominant roles that nuclear and hydro play in providing zero-carbon electricity—and the unprecedented growth of wind and solar. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

Demand for advanced nuclear fuel set to soar

Demand for High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) is set to grow significantly in the coming years if numerous companies follow through on plans to build advanced nuclear reactors. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

Russian invasion prompts scramble for nuclear fuel

In the wake of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, Washington is rushing to find new sources of a particular kind of advanced nuclear fuel whose sole commercial producer is a Russian company. Harder Line

Amy Harder 3 min read

A rapidly growing electricity system

The amount of electricity capacity we need in a world reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is anywhere between four and nearly eight times more than what we have today, according to BloombergNEF. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

How our energy mix is set to change over the next 30 years

The world’s energy mix will be transformed over the next 30 years, but current laws and pledges still would result in a global temperature rise of 2.3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

As Congress writes big climate laws, contentious tech stirs debate

As the world digs into the technologies that could help society tackle climate change, controversy is inevitably emerging in key areas. Harder Line

Amy Harder 3 min read