From universities to world leaders to the U.S. military, nuclear has continued to make headlines this year. Here’s just a bit of what we heard in Q3:
One of the biggest stories out of this quarter was the selection of vendors and installation locations for Project Janus, an Army initiative to deploy microreactors at U.S. military bases. Microreactors are an ideal choice for the Army because they can travel easily to remote base locations and they address the military’s energy security needs.
The Army is leading the nation in its return to nuclear preeminence. Our selected industry awardees represent the most viable technologies to achieve this capability, setting conditions for both installation energy resilience and operational energy solutions.
Beyond needing reliable baseload energy and hitting climate targets, energy security is a big reason leaders are continuing to choose nuclear, both here at home and around the world—and investors are interested, too.
Governments are placing nuclear at the heart of their energy security, industrial and decarbonisation strategies, while regulatory reforms for advanced reactor technologies are providing greater certainty for developers and investors.
We are hearing about more and more countries returning to nuclear, bolstering their existing fleets, or even building their very first reactors. South Africa, for example, is home to Africa’s only nuclear reactor, but there is a strong case to bring more nuclear tech to the continent for electricity, medical uses, and other applications.
(By the way… if you’re interested in hearing more about the state of nuclear around the world, the ongoing sixth season of our award-winning Fissionary podcast has you covered!)
You see many African countries really speaking the right language when it comes to nuclear. Presidents now are no longer afraid to go to the public and say, we want nuclear energy technologies.
Here at home, nuclear is continuing to gain momentum in the states. Between the recent New England Regional Policy Summit and states across the union raising their hands to host Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, it’s clear that states are ready to move on nuclear.
Governor JB Pritzker’s] executive order was an important acknowledgement that nuclear energy must be part of the Illinois future. The conversation has shifted from whether we need nuclear to how we get the projects built.
With more nuclear comes the need for more workers. Luckily, universities are stepping up to develop the workforce we’ll need, investing in career pathways and training opportunities that will set students up for careers in the nuclear industry.
Nuclear energy is poised to play an increasingly important role in meeting the nation’s energy needs, and we are determined to prepare students as essential contributors to this important field.
We heard these and many more Voices for Nuclear over the course of Q3, and the conversations aren’t slowing down. Stay tuned for our Q4 highlights!
