Newsroom Archive

When people think about electricity, they generally think of how their houses, cars and appliances are powered. Disruptions to the grid have shown how essential electricity access is, and where and how we get this power matters. Because of this, more clean, reliable, affordable and homegrown power like nuclear energy is absolutely essential to ensuring America’s energy security. But it’s not just about the United States—it’s about the world, as our allies seek to decarbonize and secure their own grids.

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Annie Caputo and Bradley Crowell to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This returns the Commission to a full slate of five members.

Chief Nuclear Officers at Nuclear Energy Institute member utilities are expecting to add 90 gigawatts of nuclear power to the grid according to a recent NEI poll. That translates to about 300 new small modular reactors (SMRs) with the bulk coming online by 2050—this level of nuclear energy output would avoid 471 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, over 280,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and over 235,000 tons of nitrogen dioxide each year.

Earlier this month the European Union (EU) decided to include investments in nuclear energy in the EU's Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, and just last week Ontario Power Generation (OPG) updated its green bond framework to include nuclear energy. Why is this shift happening now—and what needs to happen for nuclear energy to be universally valued in sustainable investing? We ask the expert, Monica Trauzzi, who is NEI’s Senior Director of External Communications & Climate Finance Strategy and Engagement.

In the face of increased shareholder pressure and ESG requirements, companies are increasingly committing to net-zero, with the number of science-based targets topping 2,940 in the first quarter of this year. Transitioning our electric grid—and eventually our entire economy—to clean energy will take massive investment. NEI’s Monica Trauzzi sat down with Arshad Mansoor, the Electric Power Research Institute’s President and Chief Executive Officer, to talk about the investment needed for decarbonization.

2022 has been an unprecedented year for smart energy policy in state capitols around the country—and we’re only halfway through the year. Legislatures have already seen dozens of bills that reflect the value of reliable, carbon-free nuclear energy. The consensus: lawmakers on both sides of the aisle clearly recognize that in order to sustain a just and reliable clean energy transition, nuclear must be a part of the conversation.

In a majority vote, Parliament has ruled to keep nuclear energy in the Complementary Delegated Act for the EU Taxonomy.

Climate and clean energy stakeholders gathered at this year’s Nuclear Energy Assembly (NEA) to discuss nuclear as a solution to the world’s trials of today and tomorrow—from struggling job markets in local economies and staggering prices at the pump to existential threats like the global climate crisis. But two topics featured prominently over the course of three days: energy security and coal-to-nuclear.

Since the crisis in Ukraine began, the United States has been rethinking how and if we do business with Russia. Right now, the United States receives about 20 percent of its enriched uranium from Russia, and the nuclear energy industry is committed to ending imports of Russian uranium services. To do so, however, the private sector and government must work together to ensure the establishment of a secure, reliable fuel supply chain.

Nuclear power plants produce a vital resource in the global fight against COVID-19: Cobalt-60. This powerful isotope has sterilized billions of pieces of medical equipment in hospitals on the front lines of the pandemic.

NEI President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Korsnick delivered the following remarks at NEI’s annual State of the Nuclear Energy Industry.

Nuclear energy has been powering our Navy for over sixty years, and new innovations are poised to continue this legacy, including mobile reactor technology that can help fuel our troops on the ground. Advanced nuclear designs provide a wide range of new applications—such as making power portable—and Project Pele is a program exploring the deployment of mobile nuclear reactors.