Updates

Building nuclear plants faster and in a more affordable way

July 19, 2021

There is a lot of buzz around advanced reactors, and for good reason, according to Ashley Finan, director of the Department of Energy’s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC). In the article 3 Ways to Make Nuclear Power Plants Faster and More Affordable to Build, published earlier this month on the DOE’s website...

3 Ways to Make Nuclear Power Plants Faster and More Affordable to Build

July 8, 2021

The U.S. Department of Energy is launching an initiative through the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) that I’m deeply passionate about. It’s going to transform the nuclear energy industry without even splitting a single atom. There’s a lot of buzz around advanced reactors, and for good reason. They of...

DOE and GE Hitachi Team Up to Lower Costs of Building New Nuclear Reactors

July 7, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $5.8 million in funding to develop three construction technologies that together can reduce the cost of new nuclear builds by more than 10 percent. “Construction costs and schedule overruns have plagued new nuclear builds for decades,” said Dr. ...

The controversial future of nuclear power in the U.S.

May 4, 2021

As the climate crisis worsens, the discussion intensifies over what role nuclear power should play in fighting it. President Joe Biden has set ambitious goals for fighting climate change: To cut U.S. carbon emissions in half by 2030 and to have a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. The plan requires electricity generatio...

NRIC Quarterly Newsletter – Spring 2021

Welcome to our first quarterly newsletter. We are well into our second year of operations at the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC), and I am excited to share some highlights about NRIC’s progress as we advance toward demonstrations of advanced nuclear reactors.

A Faster Path to Carbon-Free Power

February 25, 2021

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) teamed up to adapt an approach that could save more than a year and millions of dollars in regulatory and vendor costs. The approach, called Plant Parameter Envelopes (PPEs), simplifies the N...

New webinar series kicks off with digital engineering

February 11, 2021

Digital engineering is a powerful tool that can accelerate the demonstration and improve the economics of advanced nuclear energy projects. It also will be the topic of the first webinar in a National Reactor Innovation Center series “NRIC Tech Talks.”

Digital engineering to advance nuclear energy deployment

February 11, 2021

In an industry vulnerable to cost overruns and schedule delays, digital engineering offers hope for accelerated deployment of advanced nuclear reactors. Digital engineering is a game changer for nuclear energy.

National Reactor Innovation Center’s Webinar Features Terrapower, X-Energy

January 4, 2021

The National Reactor Innovation Center’s (NRIC) webinar “What Inspires Us: Advanced Reactor Demonstrations” will focus on the U.S. Department of Energy awards to TerraPower and X-energy to build their advanced nuclear reactors by 2027.

Why the Future of Nuclear Power Is Tiny and Factory-Made

November 13, 2020

In the 1950s, few things seemed more futuristic and utopian than harnessing nuclear energy to power your home. Towering nuclear reactors popped up across the U.S. with the promise of harvesting energy from smashed atoms of Uranium to power everything from lights in an office to an oven cooking a pot roast. With clean a...

Department of Energy picks two advanced nuclear reactors for demonstration projects

October 16, 2020

Two advanced nuclear reactors, commercial molten-salt and gas-cooled, will be built within 7 years

DOE Awards $80M each to TerraPower, X-Energy for ARDP

U.S. Department of Energy Announces $160 million in First Awards Under Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (10-/13/20)) announced it has selected two U.S.-based teams to receive $160 million in initial funding under the new Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP).