Little kids seem to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about construction trucks, whether it be because of shows like Bob the Builder or because they play with miniature trucks in their sandbox; it is sort of just a thing. I was one of those kids. Honestly, I haven’t spent a ton of time thinking about construction since then until now. Now, construction has me excited again. It should for everyone else, too.
That’s because we have new, innovative nuclear energy projects under construction right now. When talking about nuclear, it can be easy to end up talking about the policy around it or how much we need it instead of getting excited about how soon there will be more nuclear coming to the grid. Seeing dirt moving is the clearest symbol that more nuclear is coming.
If you’re like me and are curious where plants are being built (and where they already are), you’re going to want to see them on a map. Luckily, the team at NEI has you covered with this amazing interactive map to show you where you can find nuclear all over these United States.
One notable example has been TerraPower’s Natrium Project receiving their first NRC-Issued Environmental Impact Statement. They were the first advanced commercial nuclear power plant to achieve this regulatory milestone, paving the way for many more to come. A huge step for the industry.
In Canada, OPG now has the approvals necessary to construct a GE Vernova Hitachi SMR and construction is underway! In Tennessee, Kairos Power started construction on their Hermes Reactor this spring with concrete being freshly poured. Abilene Christine University is also using a Natura design to create a Molten Salt Research Reactor. Idaho National Lab is in the middle of constructing their DOME test bed, which will host advanced microreactor demonstrations. Idaho National Lab is also in the middle of building Project Pele, a transportable microreactor project with BWXT.
That’s not the only good news recently, though. Just a couple of weeks ago the U.S. government agreed to a deal with Westinghouse to build $80 billion in nuclear plants in the United States. This continues great momentum after two Westinghouse reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia went live in 2023 and 2024 – the first advanced reactors to come online in the United States.
This is not everything that is happening now, there are many other projects moving toward construction. In fact, as the NEI interactive map shows, there are over 70 projects being planned or considered to start operations by the early 2030s, and this number continues to grow every day. As things like data centers continue to consume more and more energy, it is becoming increasingly important for construction on plants to ramp up. Seeing wins for nuclear companies as well as watching trucks start to dig is bringing out the childlike wonder and excitement in me.
