There are other options: Nuclear power plants can provide zero-carbon electricity 24 hours a day, regardless of the weather outside or the temperature inside. Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has laudably called for building five gigawatts of new nuclear capacity in the state. Could she band together with others in New England to build even more? In the 1970s, France responded to the oil crisis by building dozens of new nuclear power plants — and because it built them all at the same time, it got good at building them cheaply, quickly and safely. If Northeastern lawmakers want cheaper electricity, lower emissions and less oil and gas combustion, then they should consider a similar path.

 

It’s Very Cold. Just Wait for the Grid to Fail.

By Robinson Meyer

Mr. Meyer is a contributing Opinion writer and the founding executive editor of Heatmap, a media company focused on climate change.