By Llewellyn King –<\/p>\n\n\n\n
April 23, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has thrown the global economy into turmoil and caused countries to make energy security a high priority \u2014 maybe the top one. Before the Iran war, many were concerned with environmental balance. Now guaranteeing electricity supply has edged out carbon-reduction as the critical goal. Countries are looking at electricity sources that are independent of the global fossil fuel market and vulnerability to geopolitical events. A turn to new sources of generation may actually lead to fewer greenhouse gasses \u2014 the primary driver of climate change \u2014 entering the atmosphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While countries that have coal reserves or are major importers and users are boosting coal electricity generation, those that aren\u2019t rich in fossil fuel resources will be actively seeking solar, wind and nuclear. There may be some new hydroelectric projects, mostly in Africa. Zambia and Zimbabwe are jointly studying that possibility. All of these options have their drawbacks, including unknown supply chain stress, cost uncertainty, technological and sometimes political risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With wind and solar, the supply risk changes from liquified natural gas moving through the Strait of Hormuz to dependence on supply chains controlled by China. Wind turbines can\u2019t function efficiently without rare earth magnets. Currently, China controls more than 90 percent of the supply of rare earths, and that isn\u2019t likely to change for several decades. These magnets act as a multiplier in the turbines and allow more output at low wind speeds and the elimination of the need for a gearbox. There is no known alternative. The United States is struggling to develop a domestic rare earths supply. At present, there is only one mine operating and no capacity to process the minerals \u2014 that is done in China. Australia produces an array of rare earth minerals, but they are also processed in China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nuclear power is clearly the winner of the new race between nations to be self-sufficient in electric power generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While nuclear fuel is isolated from global fossil fuel markets, it has long-term issues. Much of the current fuel for large reactors is enriched and fabricated in Russia. And nuclear fuel from everywhere is facing rising demand, which may outpace the supply. New reactors require new fuel, particularly HALEU fuels (high-assay low-enriched uranium), where the fuel is enriched to 20 percent of the fissile isotope Uranium-235. In the current generation of large light water or boiling water reactors, the fuel enrichment is between 3 percent and 5 percent, and is fabricated mostly in Russia. The new fuel for U.S. consumption will be made here. With about 35 countries from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia looking to install nuclear power, the current crisis is likely to upend many parts of the nuclear cycle from financing mechanisms to new debates over old issues, including nuclear waste disposal. Of more immediate concern is nuclear proliferation and the potential spread of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear states and to non-state actors. New nuclear power nations will be expected to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency, headquartered in Vienna, which administers the treaty and conducts compliance inspections. There is no guarantee that all nations will want to sign; some may not and might wish to pursue their own nuclear defense as a lesson of the Strait of Hormuz crisis. That lesson, sadly, is that small states are subject to bullying and attack from big states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the technologies represented in the portfolio of small modular reactors (SMRs) now on offer are considered to have a higher proliferation risk than the tried-and-true light water technology represented in the world\u2019s established reactor inventory. In my view, proliferation has always been an existential threat in the nuclear ecosystem. What has been surprising is how it has slowed since Pakistan and North Korea joined the nuclear club. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, the nuclear proliferation threat receded. Kazakhstan and Ukraine voluntarily surrendered their weapons capability and world interest, with the notable exception of North Korea and Iran, seemed to wane. It is a reasonable concern, seeing what has happened to Ukraine with the Russian invasion, that many countries may feel naked without their own weapons. It can be argued that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, the United States and Israel wouldn\u2019t have launched their attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With all new electricity infrastructure, financing will be a vital issue. None of the anticipated surge in it will be inexpensive — and high demand will put upward pressure on prices. The industrial base in the receiving countries will be important as will the ability of their educational systems to turn out the skilled workers, who will be needed to build and maintain new energy infrastructure. This is especially true of nuclear power, but it is also true of all energy technology. Even solar power, the most passive of the generation sources, requires complex infrastructure and, to be most effective, an extensive artificial intelligence management system and backup battery capacity. These need design, procurement, installation by skilled professionals, and maintenance. Even in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, systems don\u2019t install and run themselves. Vendors, too, will need to upgrade their sales and incentive offerings and their understanding of the markets. Financing and long-term service will be determining issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Far more than solar and wind, nuclear power offers both vendors and purchasers a promising long-term horizon, a new epoch of expansion and seamless, 24\/7 electricity. At this stage, though, the uncertainties are massive. There is collective wisdom which holds that this great leap forward in nuclear power will be driven by SMRs. But there are many unknowns, more than with old-line light water technology, where there are many thousands of years of operating experience. SMRs are a mixed bag with many options and few answers. By some accounts, there are 127 SMR designs seeking recognition. Of these, about 10 appear to be the most likely to be deployed. They include X-Energy, Oklo, TerraPower, Westinghouse, Kairos, BWXT, NuScale, Holtec, GE Hitachi and General Atomics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only two SMRs are operating today, China\u2019s Shidaowan and Russia\u2019s Akademik Lomonosov. As each SMR brand tends to be unique, there is no accumulating pool of shared knowledge \u2014 something that characterized the spread of large reactors from the middle of the 2oth century. Nuclear has gained from past experience and shared experiences. There is no experience pool at this point, no body of SMR experience from licensing to construction and operations. The concept of the SMR reactor isn\u2019t new, and has been talked about and worked on intermittently since the 1950s. Many of the component ideas of the SMRs on display today were examined and tested at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1960s but weren\u2019t pursued. The early nuclear industry, under the thrall of the legendary Adm. Hyman Rickover, committed to large light water reactors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current expectation is that the SMRs will be less expensive, because they will be prefabricated in factories and shipped to sites. This has yet to happen and the economic assumptions have yet to be proved. Most of the SMRs are first-of-a-kind and the technical, operational and licensing challenges aren\u2019t yet known. The global energy crisis occasioned by the Iran war is a reminder of how, as Doug Burgum, secretary of the Interior and a key player in President Trump\u2019s \u201cenergy dominance\u201d scenario, has said, \u201cEnergy is everything.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* * * * * The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of any other organization or any government<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n . <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Llewellyn King<\/strong> is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster specializing in energy, public policy, and innovation. He is the executive producer and host of White House Chronicle, a weekly news and public affairs program airing nationwide on PBS and other outlets, and writes a syndicated weekly column distributed to hundreds of newspapers. He founded The Energy Daily, one of Washington\u2019s leading energy publications, and has long been recognized for his reporting and analysis of the energy industry. Over the course of his career, he has lectured widely, advised on major energy issues, and received numerous honors for his contributions to energy journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Llewellyn King – April 23, 2026 The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has thrown the global economy into turmoil and caused countries to make energy security a high […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n By Llewellyn King<\/p>\n\n\n\n The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has thrown the global economy into turmoil and The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of any
caused countries to make energy security a high priority \u2014 maybe the top one. Before the
Iran war, many were concerned with environmental balance. Now guaranteeing electricity
supply has edged out carbon-reduction as the critical goal. Countries are looking at
electricity sources that are independent of the global fossil fuel market and vulnerability to
geopolitical events. A turn to new sources of generation may actually lead to fewer
greenhouse gasses \u2014 the primary driver of climate change \u2014 entering the atmosphere.
While countries that have coal reserves or are major importers and users are boosting
coal electricity generation, those that aren\u2019t rich in fossil fuel resources will be actively
seeking solar, wind and nuclear. There may be some new hydroelectric projects, mostly in
Africa. Zambia and Zimbabwe are jointly studying that possibility. All of these options have
their drawbacks, including unknown supply chain stress, cost uncertainty, technological
and sometimes political risk.
With wind and solar, the supply risk changes from liquified natural gas moving through the
Strait of Hormuz to dependence on supply chains controlled by China. Wind turbines can\u2019t
function efficiently without rare earth magnets. Currently, China controls more than 90
percent of the supply of rare earths, and that isn\u2019t likely to change for several decades.
These magnets act as a multiplier in the turbines and allow more output at low wind
speeds and the elimination of the need for a gearbox. There is no known alternative. The
United States is struggling to develop a domestic rare earths supply. At present, there is
only one mine operating and no capacity to process the minerals \u2014 that is done in China.
Australia produces an array of rare earth minerals, but they are also processed in China.
Nuclear power is clearly the winner of the new race between nations to be self-sufficient in
electric power generation.
While nuclear fuel is isolated from global fossil fuel markets, it has long-term issues. Much
of the current fuel for large reactors is enriched and fabricated in Russia. And nuclear fuel
from everywhere is facing rising demand, which may outpace the supply. New reactors
require new fuel, particularly HALEU fuels (high-assay low-enriched uranium), where the
fuel is enriched to 20 percent of the fissile isotope Uranium-235. In the current generation
of large light water or boiling water reactors, the fuel enrichment is between 3 percent and
5 percent, and is fabricated mostly in Russia. The new fuel for U.S. consumption will be
made here.
With about 35 countries from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia looking to install nuclear
power, the current crisis is likely to upend many parts of the nuclear cycle from financing
mechanisms to new debates over old issues, including nuclear waste disposal. Of more
immediate concern is nuclear proliferation and the potential spread of nuclear weapons to
non-nuclear states and to non-state actors. New nuclear power nations will be expected to
join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the International Atomic
Energy Agency, headquartered in Vienna, which administers the treaty and conducts
compliance inspections. There is no guarantee that all nations will want to sign; some may
not and might wish to pursue their own nuclear defense as a lesson of the Strait of
Hormuz crisis. That lesson, sadly, is that small states are subject to bullying and attack
from big states.
Some of the technologies represented in the portfolio of small modular reactors (SMRs)
now on offer are considered to have a higher proliferation risk than the tried-and-true light
water technology represented in the world\u2019s established reactor inventory. In my view,
proliferation has always been an existential threat in the nuclear ecosystem. What has
been surprising is how it has slowed since Pakistan and North Korea joined the nuclear
club. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, the nuclear proliferation threat receded.
Kazakhstan and Ukraine voluntarily surrendered their weapons capability and world
interest, with the notable exception of North Korea and Iran, seemed to wane. It is a
reasonable concern, seeing what has happened to Ukraine with the Russian invasion, that
many countries may feel naked without their own weapons. It can be argued that if Iran
had a nuclear weapon, the United States and Israel wouldn\u2019t have launched their attacks.
With all new electricity infrastructure, financing will be a vital issue. None of the anticipated
surge in it will be inexpensive -- and high demand will put upward pressure on prices. The
industrial base in the receiving countries will be important as will the ability of their
educational systems to turn out the skilled workers, who will be needed to build and
maintain new energy infrastructure. This is especially true of nuclear power, but it is also
true of all energy technology. Even solar power, the most passive of the generation
sources, requires complex infrastructure and, to be most effective, an extensive artificial
intelligence management system and backup battery capacity. These need design,
procurement, installation by skilled professionals, and maintenance. Even in the Age of
Artificial Intelligence, systems don\u2019t install and run themselves. Vendors, too, will need to
upgrade their sales and incentive offerings and their understanding of the markets.
Financing and long-term service will be determining issues.
Far more than solar and wind, nuclear power offers both vendors and purchasers a
promising long-term horizon, a new epoch of expansion and seamless, 24\/7 electricity. At
this stage, though, the uncertainties are massive. There is collective wisdom which holds
that this great leap forward in nuclear power will be driven by SMRs. But there are many
unknowns, more than with old-line light water technology, where there are many
thousands of years of operating experience. SMRs are a mixed bag with many options
and few answers. By some accounts, there are 127 SMR designs seeking recognition. Of
these, about 10 appear to be the most likely to be deployed. They include X-Energy, Oklo,
TerraPower, Westinghouse, Kairos, BWXT, NuScale, Holtec, GE Hitachi and General
Atomics.
Only two SMRs are operating today, China\u2019s Shidaowan and Russia\u2019s Akademik
Lomonosov. As each SMR brand tends to be unique, there is no accumulating pool of
shared knowledge \u2014 something that characterized the spread of large reactors from the
middle of the 2oth century. Nuclear has gained from past experience and shared
experiences. There is no experience pool at this point, no body of SMR experience from
licensing to construction and operations. The concept of the SMR reactor isn\u2019t new, and
has been talked about and worked on intermittently since the 1950s. Many of the
component ideas of the SMRs on display today were examined and tested at the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory in the 1960s but weren\u2019t pursued. The early nuclear industry,
under the thrall of the legendary Adm. Hyman Rickover, committed to large light water
reactors.
The current expectation is that the SMRs will be less expensive, because they will be
prefabricated in factories and shipped to sites. This has yet to happen and the economic
assumptions have yet to be proved. Most of the SMRs are first-of-a-kind and the technical,
operational and licensing challenges aren\u2019t yet known.
The global energy crisis occasioned by the Iran war is a reminder of how, as Doug
Burgum, secretary of the Interior and a key player in President Trump\u2019s \u201cenergy
dominance\u201d scenario, has said, \u201cEnergy is everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
other organization or any government.
Llewellyn King is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster specializing in energy,
public policy, and innovation. He is the executive producer and host of White House
Chronicle, a weekly news and public affairs program airing nationwide on PBS and other
outlets, and writes a syndicated weekly column distributed to hundreds of newspapers. He
founded The Energy Daily, one of Washington\u2019s leading energy publications, and has long
been recognized for his reporting and analysis of the energy industry. Over the course of
his career, he has lectured widely, advised on major energy iss<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[58,60,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backgroundersanalysis","category-expert-brief","category-publicationsmultimedia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6803"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7672,"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6803\/revisions\/7672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegabi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}