Nuclear power has had a controversial history. Today, however, it is often considered an essential energy source for a lower-carbon future. In a continuation of our NOW series on the future of energy, Erika Pagel sits down with Joe Dominguez, CEO of Constellation, the leading operator of nuclear power plants in the US. Joe and Erika discuss progress in shifting to a lower-carbon economy, where nuclear fits in, and promising innovations.
Episode Introduction
The energy transition is one of the great investment themes—and investment opportunities—of our time. As we think about how to position our clients’ portfolios for long-term growth, we believe understanding all aspects of the transition is imperative.
And nuclear energy could play a key role in that transition.
Nuclear power has had a controversial history—but today, it is often considered an essential part of the energy mix as we move to a lower-carbon future. Today’s advanced Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs, offer nuclear power with substantially lower capital investment, smaller footprints, efficient manufacturing, and enhanced safety, compared with traditional nuclear reactors.
I’m Erika Pagel. I’m the Chief Investment Officer for Sustainable Investing and a portfolio manager at Brown Advisory. As we examine the move to a lower-carbon economy during this NOW series on the energy transition, we want to understand different opportunities and perspectives across the energy landscape. So, we reached out to Joe Dominguez, the CEO of Constellation, to discuss the opportunities around “new” nuclear. Joe is an ideal person to learn from—Constellation is the leading operator of nuclear power plants in the United States, as well as one of the largest producers of all types of renewable energy across the US. As you’ll hear, Joe is quite frank about the opportunities, and challenges, that we face around the move to a sustainable energy future.
I learned a lot from my conversation with Joe—and hope you will too.
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