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Alternative energies

As your briefing on decarbonising America noted, New Mexico’s economy depends on robust oil-and-gas production in the Permian basin that was revitalised by fracking a decade ago (“The switch”, February 20th). New Mexicans, however, have been interested in innovation and energy diversification for quite a lot longer than the article implied. America’s only uranium-enrichment facility is in the state. It is one of the largest private-capital investments ever made in New Mexico, producing around a third of the nuclear fuel required to power the 94 nuclear reactors that generate a fifth of America’s electricity and 55% of its carbon-free electricity.

So although New Mexico may indeed be producing 1% of America’s greenhouse-gas emissions, it is also producing the fuel which generates carbon-free electricity. The technology used to process uranium is modular and can be expanded economically to meet the growing need for nuclear power that Bill Gates has recently called for.

KIRK SCHNOEBELEN
President
Urenco USA
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