Urgent Imperative: The Crucial Role of Near-Term Nuclear Deployment
By John Wagner, Idaho National Laboratory Director
As advocates for the environment, national security and U.S. prosperity, it’s important to recognize how far we have come in advancing nuclear energy. Recent years have shown increasing public and political support for nuclear power, with bipartisan backing in Congress. The U.S. is on the cusp of achievements that could usher in a new era of nuclear energy and reestablish global leadership. Our focus has shifted from debating the need for nuclear energy to determining how much more we need, how we can enable first movers and how quickly we can deploy new reactors.
The world is facing unprecedented energy and security challenges: climate change, infrastructure security, energy transition, access, equity and dramatic growth in electricity demand driven by hyperscale data centers and electrification. These challenges are formidable, but through the significant global expansion of nuclear energy, they can be addressed.
This expansion will not occur with a “business as usual” approach. It depends on overcoming the inertia of three decades of not routinely deploying new commercial nuclear power plants. We must rise to the challenge by designing, developing and deploying new reactors. We need to build, and we need to do it now.
Nuclear Rising
Our existing nuclear reactor fleet excels in generating the nation’s most reliable and resilient electricity, providing constant power to homes, hospitals, schools, businesses and critical industries. With Vogtle Units 3 and 4 now online in Georgia, the Natrium reactor demonstration project under construction in Wyoming and several advanced reactor projects planned and progressing in states across the nation, nuclear energy is poised to play an important role in the world’s energy future.
The U.S. recently led a group of 24 countries calling to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050. In March, more than 30 nations gathered in Brussels for the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit, pledging to help unlock nuclear energy’s potential.
Longtime nuclear leaders, like Westinghouse, General Electric, Tennessee Valley Authority and Southern Company, joined by a growing number of nuclear startups, are collaborating with national laboratories and universities on innovative reactor designs, fuel development and associated technologies to address an expanding variety of energy use cases.
Our nation is moving forward, driven by technological advancements not envisioned during prior generations. But challenges remain. At the top of the list is achieving successful near-term commercial deployments.
The Paper Reactor Dilemma
In 1953, Adm. Hyman Rickover’s memo on “Paper Reactors” highlighted the gap between what is planned and what is built, emphasizing that decisions about nuclear energy are often made by those lacking an intimate understanding of the technologies. Despite the challenges associated with building reactors, Rickover wrote that we must press forward from designing paper reactors to constructing and operating actual reactors.
National labs are partnering with industry to enable a new generation of nuclear reactors for power generation and applications beyond the grid. To achieve this, we need to be hyper-focused on results, innovate, rethink the status quo and deliver projects the private sector wants and the nation needs. We must innovate not just in technologies but also in operations, policies and regulations.
Case in point, the Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is well underway and significant for many reasons. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, INL is working towards building the first new test reactor on our site in 50 years, signaling a renewed commitment to innovation and enabling deployment.
Another project is Pele, a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and BWX Technologies, Inc. This microreactor design will help our armed forces reduce their dependance on diesel fuel and pave the way for small, advanced reactors for military and private sector applications.
The laboratory is also supporting the two U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program projects in collaboration with X-energy and TerraPower. X-energy is developing the Xe-100, a high-temperature gas-cooled pebble bed modular reactor, while TerraPower is working on the Natrium reactor design, a sodium-cooled fast reactor that incorporates thermal energy storage to allow for flexible power output.
These advanced reactor projects complement a suite of test beds and facilities INL is building that will help enable private companies to develop and demonstrate their own reactor designs.
A Matter of National Security
National security is another reason we urgently need to deploy new nuclear reactors. For decades, the U.S. led in nuclear energy development and deployment. Despite our expertise, the U.S. has fallen behind as Russia and China aggressively push forward, exporting reactors, fuels and services to other countries. These exports serve as strategic tools for long-term influence, potentially impacting the energy and national security of those countries.
Nations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America are considering advanced nuclear technologies for clean energy. In the absence of a robust U.S. advanced nuclear industry, these nations will look to Russia and China. None of us should want these nations to set the world’s safety and nonproliferation standards. We must not be content to see our own nuclear industry languish and rely on competing nations for new nuclear reactors, fuels and essential components.
A Growing Customer Base
In an era of political division, nuclear energy enjoys bipartisan support across all levels of government. Over the past decade, Congress has passed several pro-nuclear energy bills. States are exploring policies to replace aging infrastructure with advanced nuclear technology.
Industry giants and major energy users are increasingly turning to nuclear to secure uninterrupted, carbon-free power for their operations. A recent Nuclear Energy Institute survey projected a need for over 99 gigawatts of new nuclear power by 2050 to support decarbonization efforts. This translates to approximately 330 new small modular reactors within the next 25 years, more than doubling our current capacity.
The Challenge Before Us
To regain global leadership, the U.S. must urgently move on commercial nuclear deployments with a strong focus on cost and schedule. We need energy developers and users to commit to new reactor projects and understand the financial and policy support required to enable first movers. We also need a regulatory structure that promotes innovation, investment and deployment, developing robust domestic supply chains and prioritizing STEM education and workforce development.
Policies like long-term power purchase agreements and cost-overrun insurance must be pursued to incentivize rapid deployment and reduce barriers for early adopters. For nuclear energy to move forward, its contributions to national security, grid stability, economic growth and environmental sustainability must be recognized and valued.
Finishing Our Story
Policymakers have decided to move forward with nuclear energy, but the nuclear community must act decisively to make it happen. We need to build new plants, learn from each one and evolve. We must approach this with urgency. Even with extensions on the licenses of our current reactor fleet, time is short. We need rapid deployment to power our grid and drive clean transportation, manufacturing and industrial applications.
We have come far, but major hurdles remain. To succeed, we must be bold and strategic, embrace change, take calculated risks and help others understand what is at stake. So much is riding on our success.
John Wagner, Ph.D., is the director of Idaho National Laboratory and president of Battelle Energy Alliance. BEA manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy.
