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Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the United States

Completed

Nuclear reactors can provide low-carbon energy, and advanced nuclear technologies could play an important role in moving the United States towards a zero-carbon future. Next-generation nuclear reactors have the potential to be smaller, safer, less expensive to build, and better integrated with the modern grid. However, the technical, economic, and regulatory outlook for these technologies remains uncertain. This study will assess the future of new and advanced nuclear reactor technologies and identify the opportunities and barriers to commercialization.

This study operates in parallel with a congressionally mandated study on the fuel cycle and waste aspects of these advanced reactor designs.

Description

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will appoint an ad hoc committee of experts to identify opportunities and barriers to the commercialization of new and advanced nuclear reactor technologies in the United States over the next 30 years as part of a decarbonization strategy. Specific topics the committee will examine include:

  • The research, development, and demonstration needed for new and advanced nuclear reactor technologies to reach commercial readiness, the potential for leveraging technological developments outside the nuclear energy sector, and the manufacturing, construction, financial, societal, and other barriers associated with their deployment;
  • The operational characteristics of these technologies, including their implications for safety, security, and non-proliferation, as well as their interaction with other low-carbon generation and storage resources that may be relevant to a changing electricity system;
  • The economic, regulatory, and business challenges associated with commercialization of these technologies;
  • The implications of these technologies for the front- and back-end of the fuel cycle;
  • The viability of these technologies in applications outside the electricity sector, for example in desalination, water and wastewater treatment, hydrogen production, or process heat;
  • The role of the U.S. Government in sponsoring the development and commercialization of new and advanced nuclear reactor technologies to provide clean energy, to address national-security and nonproliferation goals, or to assist in nuclear exports; and
  • The future workforce and educational needs to support the research, development, and deployment of these technologies.

Collaborators

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Committee Membership Roster Comments

Heather Feldman resigned April 2022.
Rachel Slaybaugh resigned May 2022.

Sponsors

Department of Energy

Private: Non Profit

Staff

Kasia Kornecki

Lead

KKornecki@nas.edu

Kyra Howe

KHowe@nas.edu

Jasmine Victoria Bryant

JVBryant@nas.edu

K. John Holmes

JHolmes@nas.edu

Jennifer Heimberg

JHeimberg@nas.edu

Charles Ferguson

CFerguson@nas.edu

Rebecca DeBoer

RDeBoer@nas.edu

Catherine Wise

CWise@nas.edu

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