Sec. Moniz Announces Eight U.S. Nuclear Power Issues

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz recently cited eight critical concerns of U.S. nuclear power that need to be addressed within the next five years. At a six-hour event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies titled “Nuclear Energy at a Crossroads,” Moniz stressed that nuclear power's future would be in jeopardy if these issues are not addresses now, and explained why nuclear power should be a pillar of the nation’s energy future.

You can  watch or download the three sessions of the Crossroads event by visiting the Center for Strategic and International Studies website.

Here is the short version presented by Secretary Moniz:

1. The fate of the existing U.S. nuclear fleet could have implications for carbon emissions.

2. New reactors will come online over the next five years, but only in the Southeast.

3. The U.S. nuclear fleet is aging.

4. The need for a reliable, resilient, decarbonized electricity system is clear, but what it would look like is extremely unclear.

5. Spent fuel management needs to get moving.

6. A gap in the nuclear-fuel cycle and the proliferation arena.

7. Assessing a future for small modular reactors (SMRs). 

8. Advanced nuclear technology needs a vast funding boost.