In recent years we’ve been seeing a surge in demand for nuclear energy. The country (and world) has a need for reliable and clean energy that isn’t going away any time soon. To continue that positive momentum, NEI has put forward some policy priorities that boil down to three things: Ensuring continued excellence, accelerating nuclear development, and strengthening American security and competitiveness.
You might be thinking “Oh those are just buzzwords.” But fear not, I’ll explain.
Ensuring Continued Excellence
The U.S. nuclear energy industry operates at the highest level of any country in the world. These plants have operated with capacity factors—the amount of energy output compared with the maximum possible—above 90 percent for more than two decades. That’s more than twice as much as coal and natural gas. Nuclear also has an exemplary safety record, and nuclear plants can continue to operate for decades to come with the necessary investments for maintenance and upgrades.
Congress and the Trump administration can take steps that will encourage these investments by preserving the tax policies that will support them. Nuclear energy has seen great bipartisan support in Congress. In 2024, Congress passed the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act to modernize the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) with overwhelming majorities in each chamber—we should ensure these reforms are implemented efficiently.
Accelerating Nuclear Development
A new generation of American nuclear technologies can broaden the range of sizes and applications for nuclear energy while embedding the safety and nonproliferation standards that the U.S. and its allies have worked to establish over the last half-century. The U.S. government has recently supported the development and commercialization of many of these designs. Policies that reduce the risks facing companies seeking to deploy new nuclear plants will accelerate their deployment.
Strengthening American Security and Competitiveness
Energy security IS national security. As the U.S. faces increasing competition abroad, there is a recognized urgency to ensure that our energy production is within our control, which includes our fuel supply. A robust and promising international market for U.S. nuclear energy has emerged. Building nuclear plants overseas provides tremendous benefits to U.S. job creation and balance of trade. Estimates predict that U.S. exports of civil nuclear technology could exceed $1 trillion through 2050 with policies that enable U.S. nuclear companies to succeed against foreign competition. To unlock these markets, these technologies will need to be initially built and proven on U.S. soil.
While we keep taking steps to move forward, it’s important not to get complacent. We will need to keep pushing forward. Nuclear will continue making clean and reliable energy and make even more of it as long as the U.S. makes the right moves.
