Bill Gates wants to save the climate with nuclear power

Berlin US investor Bill Gates is promoting a renaissance of nuclear power in the fight against climate change. Switching off nuclear reactors “makes it more difficult to guarantee security of supply and low prices,” said Gates in an interview with Handelsblatt. “We cannot rule out a solution as long as we have carefully examined the costs and security.”

One should not forget: “The demand for electricity will increase dramatically because we not only use it to drive our cars, but also to heat houses and convert many factories to it.” New, relatively safe and low-waste nuclear reactors could help avert the climate catastrophe.

Gates, on the other hand, is critical of the construction of gas-fired power plants, a central element of the German energy transition: “Natural gas is not a real bridging technology,” argued the US philanthropist shortly before the World Climate Conference in Glasgow. “Loans for new power plants run for 30 or 40 years, while Germany has made a commitment to become climate neutral by 2045.” To achieve this goal, the life cycle of a new power plant could be unnaturally short, warned Gates.