Introduction
Donald Trump’s disruptive and threatening behavior towards allies makes it challenging to take him seriously, especially amidst his controversial statements about Greenland at the World Economic Forum in Davos. However, amidst his tariff threats, fascination with “the ice cake,” and NATO tantrums, Trump inadvertently raised a crucial point that the Mexican government should pay attention to.
Trump’s Nuclear Energy Advocacy
Trump, with his unmistakable López Obrador-like leanings, mocked Europeans for spoiling their landscapes with wind turbines. He dismissed the “Green New Deal” as a “scam,” referring to wind turbines manufactured by China but not used there, which he claimed kill birds without providing sufficient electricity for Europe.
Despite his boorish demeanor, Trump presented an irrefutable argument: today’s most reliable, sufficient, and secure electricity source is nuclear, not wind or solar.
Although Trump champions oil and coal, disregarding environmental measures, someone convinced him of nuclear energy’s real value as the most secure and reliable source on Earth.
Nuclear Power’s Reliability and Safety
Currently, nuclear power plants operate at 92% of their capacity, double the reliability of coal or gas and free from wind or solar intermittency issues.
Moreover, nuclear energy is 800 times safer than coal and 600 times safer than oil. Statistically, for nuclear energy to cause the same damage in labor and environmental accidents, there would need to be a Chernobyl-scale incident every 18 days.
Mexico’s Energy Sector: A Case for Nuclear Power
Mexico’s energy sector, with its state-controlled and petroleum-focused policies, faces challenges similar to those Trump highlighted.
Mexico generates approximately 58% of its electricity through combined cycles. This week, natural gas prices have surged 34% due to the polar vortex affecting the United States.
Only 10% of Mexico’s electricity comes from hydrocarbons, an expensive and dirty source; 4% from coal, which generates little electricity but at a high production cost.
Regarding clean energy, like wind turbines that bother both Trump and López Obrador, Mexico generates only 25% of its electricity this way amidst few investments and regulatory barriers.
Laguna Verde nuclear power plant in Veracruz contributes around 5.0% of Mexico’s electricity.
Trump’s Point and Mexico’s Opportunity
In this context, Donald Trump has a valid point, and Mexico should openly explore private investments to improve its energy mix with atoms instead of dogmas.
The United States’ future energy landscape is not controlled by failing state-owned enterprises or reliant on wind or coal; it’s atomic.
