Looking Back at 2023 in Nuclear

If 2023 brought us anything, it was the knowledge that Taylor Swift can improve anyone’s brand. So, here’s hoping she gets involved in the nuclear industry soon. Aside from that, 2023 actually brought us a lot in the world of nuclear energy, including some really great blogs on the NEI website. 

Here is a small sample of some of the big things we saw in 2023:  

Excitement Builds and Solidifies Around Nuclear 

Support was big for the nuclear industry in 2023. NEI CEO Maria Korsnick went on Meet the Press in May to discuss the buzz around the industry. She even said she believes that we could be looking at nuclear reactors in every town someday. This would not only bolster energy independence but would pave the path to our clean energy future. 

Since then, we have seen financial developments like Brookfield and Cameco making a deal with Westinghouse that will increase funding for one of the world’s largest nuclear businesses. In March, Dow Chemical and X-Energy came to an agreement to build a small modular reactor (SMR) at Dow’s in Texas. It will be the first SMR of its kind built outside of China or Russian. We also saw major organizations like Microsoft begin hiring with nuclear in mind, as the tech giant announced they are hiring a nuclear expert to aid in their AI ambitions. 

COP28 

Perhaps the biggest news globally in the nuclear industry was the progress made at COP 28, with this year’s iteration of the conference being deemed the “nuclear COP.” This is in large part because the climate change conference ended up producing a pledge signed by over 20 countries to triple the world’s nuclear energy by 2050. This is going to be instrumental in the fight for a clean energy future and will help provide many countries with stronger energy indepdendence. Jackie Toth said it best on the most recent episode of Fissionary (which you should totally listen to): “Most countries want to be energy secure. And most of them also want to reduce their carbon and other emissions to improve national and global health.”  

Vogtle 3 Enters Operation 

Georgia Power and Southern company made history this year as Vogtle 3 produced electricity for the first time and synchronized to the power grid. The reactor, located in Waynesboro, GA, is “the most advanced light-water reactor system in the U.S. and leverages Westinghouse’s AP1000 technology that can shut down without operator action or external power for 72 hours.” This was a monumental moment for the industry and one that will be capitalized on in the coming years—in fact, there are already plans to have Vogtle 4 up and running in 2024.  

The DOE’s HALEU Demonstration Project Makes Waves 

In 2023 we saw the nation’s first 20 kilograms of HALEU. But what does literally any of that mean? HALEU stands for high-assay low-enriched uranium, which is a material required by many reactor technologies. The production of this fuel in the US was a crucial step in the DOE’s goal to operate 16 advanced centrifuges at an enrichment facility.  

HALEU production is expected to increase in the coming years and will be instrumental in the growth and development of advanced reactors in the US. These advanced reactors are going to be instrumental in accelerating the nuclear industry, as they can be smaller, more efficient, and more flexible than the existing nuclear fleet. Simply put, as we increase HALEU production we can increase nuclear energy. 

Many more developments were made in 2023 that you can read about on our blog. But before you do that, if you have any connects to Taylor Swift and can get her to a nuclear plant, please do that!