Report
Nuclear
Nuclear Notes
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Our position
Nuclear energy can deliver abundant, reliable, zero-carbon power. But the United States has lost the ability to build it quickly, repeatedly, and at scale. Now, rising electricity demand, growing public support, bipartisan political backing, and a once-in-a-generation overhaul of commercial nuclear regulation have created an enormous opportunity to deploy new reactors. Building a nuclear-powered world will require financeable projects, a regulator that can license safely, on time, and at scale, a nuclear community willing to move beyond the status quo, and an industry capable of turning today’s momentum into sustained deployment.
Data and tools
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Tool
NRC Rulemaking Tracker
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Tool
Mapping America's Nuclear Potential
Evaluating Deployment, Investment, and Impact in America's Clean Energy Future
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Tool
Guide to NRC Application Data Requirements for State Implementers
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Three pieces the team says to read first
Nuclear work
Research, analysis and everything we have put on the record: comments, testimony, statements, letters and endorsements.
Showing 37–42 of 59
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Statement
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Bypasses its Own Regulations
Recurring attempts to impose new requirements for nuclear security show how
· Breakthrough Staff
Statement
BTI Experts to Speak at the NRC's Regulatory Information Conference
Like Woodstock for nuclear fans
· Breakthrough Staff
Statement
Former Nuclear Regulator Expresses Concerns with Preliminary 10 CFR Part 53
Former NRC Regulator and Expert on Risk-informed, Performance-based (RIPB) Methods Expresses Concerns with NRC’s Preliminary Rule for Licensing Advanced Reactors to the Advisory Committee for Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).
· Rani Franovich
Statement
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Evolves Environmental Review for Hermes Test Reactor, Yet Opportunities for Improvement Remain
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Acknowledges Some Benefits of the Project, But Further Progress is Needed to Modernize Environmental Reviews and Fully Inform Federal Decision-Making
· Rani Franovich
Statement
Former Nuclear Regulators Propose an Alternative Approach to Preliminary 10 CFR Part 53
Borrowing from Long-standing Commission Policy and Practices Governing a Risk-informed, Performance-based (RIPB) Approach to Regulation, Experts Offer an Alternative Approach to NRC’s Preliminary Rule for Licensing Advanced Reactors
· Rani Franovich, N. Prasad Kadambi, PhD, P.E.
Statement
Dashed Hopes for More Open Collaboration on Preliminary Part 53
NRC Rebuffs Numerous Requests for Open, Collaborative Development of Preliminary Rule for Licensing Advanced Reactors
· Rani Franovich, Steve Burns
37–42 of 59
Who to talk to
Adam Stein
Director, Nuclear Energy Innovation Email
Latest: NRC Issues Construction Permit for X-energy's Advanced Reactor Project in Texas
Spencer Toohill
Chief of Staff for Nuclear Energy Innovation Email
Latest: Making Practicability the Standard for Uranium Groundwater Restoration
Questions
Should we just build as many large reactors as possible?
Where large reactors make sense, we should build them. But the future nuclear fleet will likely include a mix of large reactors, small reactors, and advanced designs suited to different customers, sites, and markets.
Do we have a solution to deal with nuclear waste?
Yes. Spent nuclear fuel can be stored safely today, and deep geologic disposal is a well-understood long-term solution. Several countries recycle spent fuel. The U.S. problem is primarily one of policy and implementation, not a lack of technical options.
Isn’t nuclear too expensive compared with wind and solar?
While the upfront costs of new nuclear generation are higher than wind and solar, nuclear reactors operate for decades, providing continuous baseload power and reducing the long-term system costs and consumer bills.
Is nuclear power safe?
Yes. In fact nuclear energy is the safest energy source. Its record reflects both the rarity of serious accidents and the extraordinarily small health impacts of producing nuclear electricity compared with other major energy sources.