As a report blames climate change for brief European nuclear slowdowns, Heartland senior fellow Anthony Watts says weather-dependent wind and solar are the actual reliability problem
SCHAUMBURG, IL (September 14, 2026) — The Heartland Institute’s senior fellow for environment and climate Anthony Watts is available for interviews about his new commentary published in The Washington Times responding to a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article that blames climate change for temporary nuclear power reductions in Europe — and explaining why nuclear remains far more reliable than the wind and solar power the article’s critics prefer.
Watts notes that reactors in Romania, Hungary, and France did reduce output during an unusually hot, dry summer because of low river levels and warm cooling water. But he argues that singling out nuclear while ignoring similar vulnerabilities in coal, natural gas, and hydroelectric power reflects a double standard. Even in extreme conditions, nuclear plants routinely operate with capacity factors exceeding 90 percent, a reliability level “renewable” energy can’t match.
Watts points out that wind turbines produce no power when the wind is too weak or too strong and can ice up entirely in winter. Meanwhile, solar panels generate nothing every night and far less when it is cloudy or the panels are covered in snow. Watts argues that grid operators need dispatchable power that remains available whenever demand is high. Modern society cannot function on power generation that only works when the weather cooperates.
Watts wrote:
“The most ironic part is the fact that a group supposedly consisting of ‘atomic scientists’ is dissing nuclear power.”
On your program, Watts can discuss:
• Why brief nuclear power reductions in Romania, Hungary, and France during a heat wave don’t make nuclear “unreliable” compared to wind and solar
• How capacity factors above 90 percent make nuclear the most consistently reliable electricity source, while wind and solar output depend entirely on the weather
• Why cooling-water constraints during drought aren’t unique to nuclear as coal, gas, and hydroelectric plants face the same limitations
• How grid operators define reliability, and why dispatchable power matters most when demand is at its peak, which often happens during extreme weather events
• Why Watts argues critics apply a double standard: treating a nuclear plant’s occasional slowdown as proof of failure while calling wind turbines standing still or solar panels producing nothing after dark “normal”
Why Book Anthony Watts?
Anthony Watts is a senior fellow for environment and climate at The Heartland Institute. A television and radio meteorologist for more than 40 years, he founded and edits WattsUpWithThat.com, the world’s most-viewed website on climate, and his work on temperature-measurement issues has been cited in books, studies, and government reports worldwide. He is a clear, experienced media voice on energy reliability and climate science.
To book Watts on your program, reply to this email or contact VP & Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] or call/text 312-731-9364.
The Heartland Institute is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our website or call 312/377-4000.
Anthony Watts is a senior fellow for environment and climate at The Heartland Institute.
