OREANDA-NEWS. Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that the move away from nuclear power could lead to serious electricity supply problems, such as rising electricity prices and supply difficulties.

"Shutting them down (nuclear reactors) will make it difficult to secure a reliable supply (of electricity) and favorable prices," Gates told Handelsblatt in an interview.

"We shouldn't rule out any solution until we check costs and reliability," Gates said, referring to the move to renewables.

The entrepreneur is interested in the question of whether there will be a new generation of nuclear power plants that will be better in terms of cost, safety and disposal and will become "part of the solution to produce reliable and cheap electricity." According to Gates, he is now financing an enterprise that is building a new, fourth generation nuclear reactor.

At the same time, Gates criticized the construction of gas-fired power plants in Europe. In his opinion, "natural gas is not a true transition technology." In this regard, he noted that loans for new power plants are issued for 30 or 40 years, "while Germany has committed itself to become climate neutral by 2045." At the same time, Gates stressed that "the world will continue to consume a lot of natural gas" until emissions of harmful substances fall to zero.