In another financial nod of encouragement to the U.S. nuclear industry, the Department of Energy on November 18 announced awards totaling $8.5 million to five industry-led projects, with the aim of accelerating the commercial deployment of advanced reactors and fuels. The awards are funded via the Office of Nuclear Energy's U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development funding opportunity, which, since 2017, has invested more than $215 million in advanced nuclear technologies. Solicitations are broken down into three pathways: first-of-a-kind nuclear demonstration readiness projects, advanced reactor development projects, and direct regulatory assistance. "Advanced reactors will completely change the way we engineer, build, and operate nuclear reactors," stated Kathryn Huff, principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy, in the DOE's announcement. "These awards support technical and regulatory strides necessary for commercializing new carbon-free nuclear technologies poised to help our nation reach net-zero emissions by 2050."
展开▼
