WASHINGTON D.C. This article was published on February 6, 2024 on Utility Dive. To read this article, click here: Lessons from NuScale’s terminated project will help pave the way for advanced nuclear energy | Utility Dive. The first two paragraphs of the article can be seen below.
Lessons from NuScale’s terminated project will help pave the way for advanced nuclear energy
The advanced nuclear innovation ecosystem remains strong, with a portfolio of public and private investments, multiple technology pathways and diverse business models.
The future of advanced nuclear energy is only just beginning. While the recent termination of the Carbon Free Power Project, or CFPP, by NuScale and the Utah Association of Municipal Power Systems, or UAMPS, is disappointing, it does not diminish the significance of the project’s accomplishments or the ability of advanced nuclear energy to be part of the climate solution moving forward.
The future of advanced nuclear energy in the United States and worldwide depends on a portfolio of technologies, investments and policies. Near-term projects like those by Kairos Power and Abilene Christian University are making strides toward deployment, with construction permit applications currently under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Furthermore, the NRC is either currently reviewing, or has already reviewed and approved, dozens of “topical reports” that resolve technical issues for companies looking to submit a license application in the future. Finally, the Department of Energy’s flagship program, the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, is set to unveil demonstration projects from TerraPower and X-energy by the late 2020s, with their construction permit applications submitted to the NRC this year.