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US Aims to Build $80bn Worth of New Nuclear Power Plants by Neil Gerrard

William Attardi on November 1, 2025

The US government has struck up a partnership with the Canadian owners of Westinghouse Electric as part of a plan to build at least $80 billion worth of new nuclear reactors. Westinghouse Electric’s owners, Canada-based Cameco, which supplies uranium and nuclear fuel services, and Brookfield Asset Management, confirmed the strategic partnership to accelerate the deployment of nuclear power in the US. he US government is expected to arrange financing and secure permits for the new nuclear plants in return for a 20% share of future profits, after Westinghouse has paid out profits of $17.5 billion to Brookfield and Cameco. A national deployment of the reactors could generate 100,000 construction job.  US aims to build $80bn worth of new nuclear power plants – Construction Briefing

Nuclear Power Could Be a $10 Trillion Industry That ‘Holds the Answer to the World’s Power Shortages’

William Attardi on September 23, 2025

Nuclear energy represents a $10 trillion potential market opportunity that could hold “the answer to the world’s power shortages,” according to a new report from Bank of America. To meet the growing demand for global electrification stoked by energy-intensive projects like the data centers underpinning the AI arms race, global nuclear capacity will have to triple by 2050, the firm estimated. Investment is expected to reach more than $3 trillion in the next 25 years. Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs are typically designed to produce around 500 megawatts or less of energy compared to a traditional nuclear power plant’s 1,000 MW or more. Unlike traditional nuclear power plants that may take years — if not decades — to bring online, SMRs are cheaper and faster to build, with “modular” parts that can be mass-produced and slotted together on an assembly line.  Nuclear power could be a $10 trillion industry that ‘holds the answer to the world’s power shortages’

The Statue of Liberty was made with copper but due to oxidation, it turned green.

When the “Lady in the Harbor” first arrived in New York in 1886, she didn’t look like the mint-green icon we know today. In fact, for the first twenty years of her life, she stood as a towering, metallic beacon of reddish-gold. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the statue was a gift from France to America. To build her, Bartholdi chose copper for three practical reasons:

  • Malleability:It could be hammered into elaborate, thin sheets.
  • Weight:Copper is lighter than stone or bronze, making it easier to ship 350 individual pieces across the Atlantic.
  • Durability:It was strong enough to survive a 27-day ocean voyage and the harsh winds of the harbor.

When she was unveiled on October 28, 1886, her skin—made of 300 copper sheets roughly the thickness of two pennies—shone with a bright, metallic brown luster. The transformation from “penny-colored” to “patina-green” wasn’t planned. Bartholdi actually expected the statue to age into a deeper, darker red. However, the unique environment of New York Harbor—a mix of salt air, moisture, and industrial pollution—triggered a process called oxidation.

The Timeline of Change:

  1. 1886–1900:The bright copper dulled into a dark, muddy brown.
  2. 1903:The first hints of a light green crust, or “patina,” began to appear.
  3. 1906:The color change was so controversial that Congress nearly stepped in. They appropriated $62,000 to paint the statue back to its original color, but the public protested, calling the idea “sacrilege.”
  4. 1910–1920:The statue was a patchy mix of brown and green until 1920, when the oxidation was complete, leaving her entirely teal.

While we now view the green color as iconic, it actually serves a vital structural purpose. The layer of verdigris (the green patina) acts as a protective shield. It seals the copper underneath, preventing the metal from further corrosion and weathering.  By the time the color fully changed, a new generation of immigrants had arrived in America seeing a green statue.