The top advocate for the U.S. nuclear industry said Tuesday that she expects at least two advanced reactor projects to start construction in the country within the next 12 months.
Maria Korsnick, CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, also cautioned that demands on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will continue to climb. The industry has called for changes in NRC’s licensing and review processes to help enable a massive build-out of nuclear power projects.
“At every level of society — across borders and aisles and industries and sectors — support for nuclear has materialized into demand,” Korsnick said during an annual state of the industry address Tuesday. “And the race to realize its potential is officially underway.”
The Biden administration and Congress have both been bullish on nuclear energy’s outlook as a key part of the U.S. power system’s shift toward a carbon-free future. The country may see electricity demand rise substantially over the next five years, according to Grid Strategies and other firms that track electricity forecasts.
