The Scottish government will focus on renewable energy not nuclear power, a government minister has said following confirmation of significant funding for nuclear power plants in England. Scotland has an effective ban on new nuclear facilities because the SNP has a long-standing commitment to block projects through devolved planning powers.

The deal is Meta’s first in nuclear power, echoing moves from industry leaders like Microsoft, Google and Amazon.

“We’ve spent nearly $20 billion on nuclear (space) power since the 50s and the only system we currently have is a light-bulb sized, 100-watt radioisotope generator,” Bhavya Lal, former NASA Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy, told me on the Space Minds podcast.

Meta Platforms Inc.’s flashy deal this week for nuclear power was just the latest sign of the technology industry’s need for more energy — and fast. And while the top US reactor companies are eager to sign more contracts,

Illinois generates more electricity from nuclear power than any other state in the country, but some say it isn’t enough to meet the state’s energy needs. Legislation that would have lifted a moratorium on the building of large-scale nuclear facilities failed to get through the Illinois General Assembly this spring.

"We wouldn't like to see some kind of nuclear race in the Middle East," Israeli diplomat Tsach Saar told Newsweek.

Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook’s parent company.

The government has given the go-ahead for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station in Suffolk. Sean Farrington asks Tom Greatrex, chair of the Nuclear Industry Association, what that could mean for jobs, power and energy bills in the UK.