WASHINGTON D.C. The following statement may be attributed to Nuclear Innovation Alliance Executive Director Judi Greenwald, regarding the Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing tomorrow to examine opportunities and challenges associated with advanced nuclear reactor commercialization:
"Thanks to analyses from the IPCC, IEA and other global organizations, we know that meeting midcentury climate goals requires the worldwide commercialization of advanced nuclear energy. Advanced nuclear reactors offer clean, safe, and reliable electricity, and will help decarbonize both electric and non-electric sectors. For these technologies to reach their full potential, they must be deployed at scale and without delay to meet the needs of customers seeking to harness the clean energy they produce. We hope tomorrow’s hearing underscores the Committee’s bipartisan commitment to progressing the development of these important technologies.
“NIA has published reports, white papers and briefs to help identify these challenges and the opportunities to overcome them. NIA has released publications on the additional funding needed to secure a reliable supply of fuel and what is needed to catalyze a domestic commercial market for high-assay low-enriched uranium. Additionally, NIA has provided recommendations on how the Department of Energy (DOE) can be more effective in helping to commercialize advanced nuclear energy technologies and how it can catalyze the private-public partnership that is needed to reach full-scale commercialization. NIA also published an introduction and directory of useful resources for coal-to-nuclear transitions to help foster a clean energy transition that includes advanced nuclear energy deployment. Finally, NIA has played a key role in regulatory modernization by convening a licensing efficiency workshop and by identifying the short-, medium- and long-term reform needed at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to ensure nuclear reactor licensing is not an impediment to commercialization. Each of these publications help to ensure NIA’s vision for doubling nuclear energy production to meet clean energy needs.
“Congressional investigation into commercialization is an essential step toward deploying advanced nuclear energy at scale. We firmly believe that commercializing advancing nuclear energy technologies is integral to meeting our energy needs and addressing environmental challenges. We are looking forward to next steps in the ongoing conversation about addressing the challenges of commercializing advanced nuclear technologies to ensure they can help us meet mid-century climate goals.”
For media inquiries, please contact Ben Finzel at info@renewpr.com.
The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) is a non-profit think-and-do-tank working to enable nuclear power as a global solution to mitigate climate change. Through policy analysis, research, and education, we are catalyzing the next era of nuclear energy. Our organization is funded primarily through charitable grants and philanthropic donations from climate-concerned individuals and organizations.