This year marked nuclear energy’s largest presence at CERAWeek, emphasizing its importance to global decarbonization. Hosted by S&P Global and known as the world’s premier energy conference, CERAWeek has been described by Politico as the “industry’s Super Bowl.”
More than 6,000 delegates and 800 speakers from over 100 countries traveled to Houston for this year’s event. CERAWeek draws government officials, CEOs from global energy entities, thought leaders, financial leaders, entrepreneurs and media. The conference provides a platform for these leaders to discuss the latest developments in energy and climate.
Nuclear energy was also central to the discussion on the clean energy transition at the conference, and the Nuclear Energy Institute led and participated in several well attended panels on the topic.
NEI's President and CEO Maria Korsnick participated in a net-zero panel with Dan Poneman, President and CEO of Centrus Energy, and John Wagner, Director of Idaho National Lab. She discussed the value of carbon-free nuclear energy in the United States’ existing electricity generation, as well as the pivotal role advanced reactors will play in decarbonizing entire economies.
Korsnick also led a discussion on the nuclear regulatory landscape with President and CEO of NuScale John Hopkins, President and CEO of TerraPower Chris Levesque, and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality of Kairos Peter Hastings. The group discussed the challenge of dramatically reducing carbon emissions while meeting growing electricity demands—against the backdrop of global pressures, political upheaval and supply disruptions.
The stakes could not be higher, and the world needs smarter, more reliable, and more efficient energy solutions, and carbon-free nuclear energy is the most reliable, scalable, carbon-free source at our disposal.
Companies like NuScale Power, TerraPower, and Kairos Power are developing advanced reactors and opening the door for utilities to make zero-carbon, pollution-free nuclear power a part of their energy mix anywhere.
During the event, NEI led a press briefing on the events in Ukraine to provide context and give an update on the current state of play, covering topics ranging from radiation safety to energy security.
The panel featured NEI President and CEO Maria Korsnick, NEI Senior Vice President of Policy Development and Public Affairs John Kotek, and Dr. Kathryn Higley, Professor in the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Oregon State University’s College of Engineering.
The panel briefed the media on issues like the Zaporizhzhia site and the situation at Chernobyl.
“We understand the Ukrainians are continuing to operate all these power plants…Indication would be that it is operating well under these stressful times,” said Maria Korsnick
In addition to discussing the situation on the ground in Ukraine, Dr. Kathryn Higley discussed the EU’s integrated data monitoring network that addresses radioactive releases from any facility across Europe, and the fact that this information can be provided to decisionmakers quite quickly: “the takeaway is no, people should not be fearful, they should be mindful.”
Looking forward to how the events in Ukraine will affect the global energy transition, John Kotek asserted that nuclear’s role in energy security is now more important than ever.
“I think there is this recognition that if nuclear were to somehow be taken off the table or support for it would drop, that’s going to further undermine energy security in Europe, here in the U.S., and beyond, and really plays into the hands of those who want to use energy as a weapon,” said Kotek.
CERAWeek represents the landscape for what’s ahead for energy markets, geopolitics, and technology. Given the current events, the need for this nexus of energy executives and experts was more important than ever, and these engagements emphasized that nuclear is a critical part of our world’s decarbonization efforts, as well as our energy security.
