In a primer, the American Action Forum’s new Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Shuting Pomerleau reviews the latest legislative developments and private-sector investments in nuclear power, the main factors driving the recent momentum toward this source of clean energy, and the key issues to watch for going forward.

Key points:

• While the construction of new nuclear reactors has been stalled for the past three decades, nuclear energy still offers a cost-effective, clean, and reliable source of power – and with rising energy costs and a demand for clean energy, nuclear is seeing renewed interest from lawmakers and industry leaders.
• This year, there has been unprecedented business investment in nuclear, as large technology companies invest in nuclear reactors with improved safety and lower costs; moreover, there has been movement on the legislative front to lower the upstart costs of constructing new nuclear energy facilities.
• The successful implementation of the bipartisan Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 is important for ensuring the timely development and deployment of the new generation of nuclear technologies, which are likely to be safer, more efficient, and have fewer limitations, with advancements in fuel sources, cooling methods, and reactor size.

Read the analysis