Benefits of Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Advanced nuclear provides communities with an exciting opportunity to produce reliable, affordable, and abundant clean energy with a minimal carbon footprint.

Advanced nuclear reactors will accelerate the transition to clean energy and help to mitigate climate change. These reactors are designed to work with the evolving energy system through flexibility, scalability, and reliability. These characteristics will allow advanced nuclear technologies to integrate seamlessly into current electricity grids, providing greater diversification, stability, and consistency in energy generation.

In addition to abundant clean energy, advanced nuclear reactors also bring significant economic opportunities, such as job and supply chain creation, to the communities that host them.

History of U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership

We have not done this recently, but we have done this before. At the desert site at Idaho National Laboratory, formerly the National Reactor Testing Station, the United States built 52 different reactors over 25 years. The X-10 reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory was built and started up in under a year.

Since the first decade of American civilian nuclear energy development, the U.S. has developed groundbreaking technologies that are embedded in nuclear power systems used around the world. These include the first commercial nuclear power plant, the first submarine reactor, the first demonstration of a self-sustaining fuel cycle, and the foundational approach to light water reactor safety, security, and nonproliferation protocols.

At NRIC we are recapturing our country’s global leadership in nuclear innovation while ensuring that advanced reactors are responsive to society’s needs. 

Future of U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership

By the end of 2025, NRIC will enable the demonstration of at least two more reactors, extending the legacy of American nuclear innovation and establishing a foothold for advanced nuclear in this century.

In September 2018, the bipartisan Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act of 2017 (NEICA) was signed into law, creating NRIC and beginning the next chapter of this technology’s evolution. The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) establishes the framework for public-private cost-sharing in several demonstration projects that are characterized by having reliable, cost effective, licensable designs. The objective of the ARDP is to stimulate commercial enterprises in advanced reactor deployment and enable a market environment where safe and affordable commercial reactor services are made available to government and private sector customers. NRIC is a key partner in this effort.

Take Action

Everyone can participate in shaping our energy future by learning more about advanced nuclear, organizing a local event, or even hosting an advanced reactor facility in your community.

If you’re interested in partnering with NRIC to host a local event, if you would like to request one of our nuclear experts to speak at an event, or if you would simply like to discuss the potential benefits of advanced reactors for your community, contact NRIC at nric@inl.gov.

Benefits of Advanced Nuclear

 

Advanced nuclear provides communities with an exciting opportunity to produce reliable, affordable, and abundant clean energy with a minimal carbon footprint.

Advanced nuclear reactors will accelerate the transition to clean energy and help to mitigate climate change. These reactors are designed to work with the evolving energy system through flexibility, scalability, and reliability. These characteristics will allow advanced nuclear technologies to integrate seamlessly into current electricity grids, providing greater diversification, stability, and consistency in energy generation.

In addition to abundant clean energy, advanced nuclear reactors also bring significant economic opportunities, such as job and supply chain creation, to the communities that host them.

History of
U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership

We have not done this recently, but we have done this before. At the desert site at Idaho National Laboratory, formerly the National Reactor Testing Station, the United States built 52 different reactors over 25 years. The X-10 reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory was built and started up in under a year.

Since the first decade of American civilian nuclear energy development, the U.S. has developed groundbreaking technologies that are embedded in nuclear power systems used around the world. These include the first commercial nuclear power plant, the first submarine reactor, the first demonstration of a self-sustaining fuel cycle, and the foundational approach to light water reactor safety, security, and nonproliferation protocols.

At NRIC, we are recapturing our country’s global leadership in nuclear innovation while ensuring that advanced reactors are responsive to society’s needs. 

Future of U.S. Nuclear Energy Leadership

By the end of 2025, NRIC will enable the demonstration of at least two more reactors, extending the legacy of American nuclear innovation and establishing a foothold for advanced nuclear in this century.

In September 2018, the bipartisan Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act of 2017 (NEICA) was signed into law, creating NRIC and beginning the next chapter of this technology’s evolution. The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) establishes the framework for public-private cost-sharing in several demonstration projects that are characterized by having reliable, cost effective, licensable designs. The objective of the ARDP is to stimulate commercial enterprises in advanced reactor deployment and enable a market environment where safe and affordable commercial reactor services are made available to government and private sector customers. NRIC is a key partner in this effort.

Take Action

Everyone can participate in shaping our energy future by learning more about advanced nuclear, organizing a local event, or even hosting an advanced reactor facility in your community.

If you’re interested in partnering with NRIC to host a local event, if you would like to request one of our nuclear experts to speak at an event, or if you would simply like to discuss the potential benefits of advanced reactors for your community, contact NRIC at nric@inl.gov.