PRESS RELEASE: November 19th, 2015
Nuclear Innovation Alliance to focus on commercialization of non-traditional technologies
Cambridge, Mass. – The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) was formally launched today as a non-profit organization focused on accelerating the deployment of safer, lower cost and more secure advanced nuclear power technologies.
Motivated by the urgency of reducing carbon emissions from the global energy industry, the NIA brings together diverse nuclear energy stakeholders, including technical experts, nuclear technology companies, investors, environmental organizations and academic institutions. Collectively, the NIA and these stakeholders will be striving to improve the policy, funding and market environment essential for rapid commercialization of innovative nuclear technology.
“The consensus emerging from nearly every scientific study on combating climate change is clear,” said Armond Cohen, NIA co-chairman. “In addition to energy efficiency, renewables and carbon sequestration, the world will need a lot more nuclear energy to sufficiently decarbonize our society’s energy consumption. Emerging innovative reactor designs promise to be safer, more economical and faster to build, with less waste and lower proliferation risk.”
“Real change to energy regulation and policy is needed to make these advanced designs commercially available in time to help limit climate change to an acceptable level,” said Christofer Mowry, NIA co-chairman. “Investors and developers need to see a clearer and lower risk path to their deployment, including an innovation-enabling licensing framework and more substantive public-private partnerships for rapid deployment.”
The organization’s four Strategic Priorities focus on:
• Revitalizing the nuclear regulatory policy framework to create a lower risk and more technology-neutral licensing process.
• Providing a national “test bed” where private-sector innovators can efficiently demonstrate the performance and safety of advanced nuclear technologies.
• Increasing international cooperation in the evaluation, demonstration and deployment of innovative nuclear power technologies.
• Cultivating financial support for early-stage nuclear technology innovation, initial regulatory review for licensable design and competitive commercial deployment.
Members of the NIA’s Board of Directors are:
• Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force (NIA co-chairman)
• Christofer Mowry, CEO, General Synfuels International, Inc. (NIA co-chairman)
• Desmond Chan, Manager of Technology, Bechtel National Inc. (NIA treasurer)
• Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus, Venrock Capital
The organization’s Advisory Committee consists of individuals representing the entire spectrum of advanced nuclear energy stakeholders.
About the Nuclear Innovation Alliance:
The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) leads advanced nuclear energy innovation. We assemble companies, investors, experts and stakeholders to advance nuclear energy innovation and enable innovative reactor commercialization through favorable energy policy and funding. We research, develop and advocate policies that enable the efficient licensing and timely early-stage demonstration of advanced reactor technologies. Learn more about NIA at http://www.nuclearinnovationalliance.org/ and on Twitter at @theNIAorg and Facebook at www.facebook.com/theNIAorg.