SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane and Prof. M.V. Ramana: Canada’s First New Nuclear Power Reactor in 30 Years Has Embarked on a Crucial Review
SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane and Prof. M.V. Ramana comment on the review process for Canada’s first new nuclear power reactor in 30 years.
Prof. Allison Macfarlane: Scientists Produce More Energy in a Fusion Reaction Than Was Used to Ignite It
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane shares thoughts on a recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion in a radio broadcast with CBC News.
Prof. Allison Macfarlane: From Nuclear Power to Bamboo: The Climate Solutions at COP27
A study co-authored by SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane on nuclear waste is mentioned in an article about climate solutions proposed at COP27.
Allison Macfarlane: “Fixing” the Nuclear Waste Problem? The New Political Economy of Spent Fuel Management in the United States
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane co-authors a publication analysing the economic, geographic and technological aspects behind spent nuclear fuel management in the U.S.
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane: Mini Nuclear Reactors Land in Scientific Spat Over Waste Output
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane is quoted in an article discussing her study on nuclear waste from mini nuclear reactors.
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane: ‘We Really Want to Find A Long-Term Solution’: Canada Inches Toward Permanent Storage of Radioactive Waste
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane discusses concerns around safety of a permanent nuclear storage site in Ontario, explaining that “we don’t understand what the costs are going to be yet.”
Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane: Why Nuclear Energy is on the Verge of a Renaissance
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane discusses the global attitude shift towards embracing nuclear power and safe energy storage methods with CNBC News
Prof. Allison Macfarlane: IAEA Finds Normal Radioactivity at Chernobyl on Disaster’s Anniversary
SPPGA Director and Professor Allison Macfarlane raises concerns about the threat that the Russia-Ukraine war poses to nuclear power plant sites in Ukraine.
News Compilation: Russia-Ukraine War Media Mentions
Faculty members from the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) comment on the evolving conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane: Nuclear waste: Concerns of a Storage Facility in Southern U.S.
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane discusses concerns around safety and storage of nuclear fuel in interim storage facilities in West Texas.
Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane: Nuclear waste: Similar Concerns in the U.S. and in Japan, with No Solution in Sight
SPPGA Director and Prof. Allison Macfarlane discusses concerns around safety and storage of nuclear fuel in interim storage facilities in West Texas.
The Plan to Turn My Hometown into A Nuclear Waste Dump
SPPGA Director and Professor Allison Macfarlane shares her insight on whether Canada will have found a home, and a permanent solution, for the country’s nuclear waste by 2023.
How We Might Finally Get Over Our Fear of Nuclear Power
SPPGA Director and Professor Allison Macfarlane shares her thoughts on how small modular reactors will play a role in the future of nuclear power.
Nuclear Power and America’s Clean Energy Future
With US government funding lined up to put shovels in the ground for new nuclear test plants, SPPGA Director and Professor Allison Macfarlane discusses uncertainties surrounding the promise of nuclear power.
Is Nuclear Power the Way Forward to Combat the Climate Crisis?
As the United Nations Climate Change Conference wraps up, SPPGA Director and Professor Allison Macfarlane states that there is a definite need to move away from fossil fuels, and that nuclear power could potentially be the way forward.
Going Nuclear on Climate Change
Director Allison Macfarlane enters the debate over the role of nuclear power in achieving net zero carbon emissions (Subscription).
Is There a Nuclear Option for Stopping Climate Change?
A rapidly warming climate has people questioning whether nuclear power is a viable option for decarbonisation. Director Allison Macfarlane warns that the construction time for nuclear plants is much longer compared to renewable projects and America “can’t afford to wait that long” (Subscription).
‘A Combination of Failures:’ Why 3.6m Pounds of Nuclear Waste Is Buried on a Popular California Beach
The backend of the nuclear cycle gets very little attention, says SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane in response to why spent fuel often remains buried on-site. Handling stockpiles has always been an afterthought to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), she adds.
We’ve Been Here Before: Wyoming Nuclear Project Echoes of Past
After state officials unveiled Wyoming’s Natrium nuclear project, industry critics are doubtful plans will follow through. Director Allison Macfarlane warns that “we can’t pin our hopes on [nuclear] as the thing that’s going to get us out of the next 20 [crucial] years.”
Another 30 Years to Go – the Final Storage of High-level Radioactive Waste
Read the latest interview with SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane, where she discusses the worldwide search for a nuclear repository, the factors that determine a successful site search and the current United States’ stalemate on this issue.
Nuclear Energy Will Not Be the Solution to Climate Change
Read SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane’s op-ed on why nuclear energy cannot be a near- or medium-term solution to climate change, given the urgency needed to reduce carbon emissions, as well as economic and safety concerns.
U.S. Experts to Trudeau: Your Nuclear Dream May Turn Nightmare
Canada’s investment in new nuclear technology has experts SPPGA Professor Ramana and SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane concerned. Both professors cite unknown costs, lack of transparency, and toxic waste as key reasons for their reservations.
Petits Réacteurs Nucléaires: Que Fera-t-On des Déchets
SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane speaks on the feasibility of small modular nuclear reactors and waste management in wake of New Brunswick’s plan for deployment of SMRs (Article in French).
Former NRC Chair Questions Economic Feasibility of New Nuclear in US
“Without further aid from Congress and the White House, the prospects for the U.S. nuclear industry will dwindle in the face of cheaper resources that are getting built faster than new nuclear generators,” says SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane.
The Fukushima Accident: Do We Have the Wisdom to Move Forward?
As the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima accident approaches, SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane discusses how to reconceive the risks of nuclear power plants in the process of transitioning away from the carbon economy.
Nuclear Power Looks to Regain Its Footing 10 Years after Fukushima
SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane believes that the future energy market will pit nuclear energy against cheaper and renewable sources, such as solar and wind with more developed offshore wind energy, batteries, and energy-storage technologies.
Former U.S. Regulator Questions Small Nuclear Reactor Technology
In an article about small nuclear reactor technology, SPPGA Director Allison Macfarlane raises doubts about the feasibility of storage, alluding to the complexity of the shorter-term radioactivity of nuclear waste.