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The story
JPMorgan has suggested that rising AI-driven demand for data centers in Europe will accelerate investment in nuclear energy as a way to meet decarbonization and energy security goals at the same time. The report sparked a wave of skepticism from overseas users on Lemmy’s c/europe. Commenters pointed out that the last nuclear plant built in Europe took more than 14 years to construct, and argued that nuclear power isn’t profitable without public subsidies, with some countering that solar and wind are more than enough to meet demand. Others noted that renewable energy projects also run into friction with local residents, so the discussion never reached a clear consensus.
Europe’s AI demand could set off a nuclear energy boom, says JPMorgan
> The EU is aiming to expand data center capacity, and in doing so is already boosting investment in nuclear energy projects as it tries to achieve decarbonization and energy security at the same time, the major investment firm says.
Source: piefed.social / Original article here
What people said
Probably just JPMorgan talking it up to justify their own nuclear investments.
Cost is still the real problem, like always.
Don't worry, the public pays the cost and big corporations just pocket the profits.
I wish that were sarcasm, but sadly I mean it.
It's cheaper too, even factoring in battery storage.
Tell that to my neighbor — they think the balcony solar panels I'm planning to install will 'ruin the view' and 'kick up dust'…
I get the NIMBY ('not in my backyard') instinct against having a wind turbine built near your house (don't get me wrong, I still think it's ridiculous). But what's the excuse for complaining about solar panels?
Just make the facility co-owned by the local community. That solves it. It's actually a pretty common approach in northern Germany.
That's one way to do it, but it seems like people find it easier to just block new infrastructure from ever getting built in the first place — solar and wind farms, new rail lines, new public transit routes — and then complain that the problems that infrastructure was supposed to solve never got solved, or even got worse.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
The nuclear-vs-renewables divide has long been a point of contention in Europe — back in 2022, EU member states split over whether to classify nuclear power as a ‘sustainable transitional investment’ under the green taxonomy. That same year, several nuclear plants in countries like France had to cut output because falling river levels and rising water temperatures made it impossible to secure enough cooling water, which comment #12 appears to be referencing. What divided this thread was how a new factor — the power demand from AI data centers — plays into this long-running conflict. Nuclear supporters stress its value as a stable baseload power source, while skeptics point to high construction costs, long build times, and dependence on subsidies. It’s also worth keeping in mind that JPMorgan’s analysis reflects an investment firm’s perspective, not a neutral take on energy policy.
*This article is adapted and translated by our editorial team from a thread on the overseas forum Lemmy c/europe, “Europe’s AI demand could set off nuclear energy boom, says JP Morgan.” Responsibility for this translation rests with this site.
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