ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
October 7–10, 2024
Organized by the Pacific Nuclear Council (PNC)Nuclear Enabling a Net-Zero World.
Idaho Falls, ID|Blue Cross of Idaho Conference Center
Thank you for participating in the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference 2024 (PBNC)!
The Proceedings of PBNC are now available to all who registered for the conference. Access to the Proceedings is linked to the account you used to register for PBNC.
You can also access the Proceedings by logging in to the ANS website and then:
Click Subscriber Access from the left-hand navigation bar to be taken to the publication platform, epubs.
On the epubs platform, click Proceedings from the navigation bar.
On the next page, the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference Proceedings will be available.
Gala and Keynote | Wednesday, October 9, 2024 | 5:00–10:30PM MDT
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
This international conference, organized by the Pacific Nuclear Council (PNC), will explore current and future nuclear energy research and development activities, regulatory initiatives, policy issues, and industry programs and projects throughout the Pacific Rim that will enable nuclear energy to play a more significant role in achieving global net-zero carbon emission goals.
Honorary Chair: Dr. John Wagner Laboratory Director (Idaho National Laboratory)
General Chair: Dr. Corey McDaniel PNC President (Kiewit Nuclear Solutions)
OPENING PLENARY Nuclear in a Net Zero World
Dr. Corey McDanielPNC PresidentKiewit Nuclear Solutions
Dr. John WagnerIdaho National Laboratory (INL)
Charles OppenheimerOppenheimer Project &Oppenheimer Energy
Dr. Michael GoffU.S. Department of Energy
Rob WhittlestonAtomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)
Kentaro FunakiJapan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)
Dr. Chae Young LimKorea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)
Plenary II - Industry Achieving Nuclear Net Zero
Prof. Lisa MarshallANS President
Craig H. PiercyANS Executive Director / CEO
Dr. Sama Bilbao y León World Nuclear Association
Chris Levesque TerraPower
Gary WolskiCurtiss-Wright Nuclear
Akihito UetakeJAIF & Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
Eric KnoxAmentum
Plenary III - Balancing Nuclear Net Zero with Energy Security
U.S. Senator James Risch
Jean Luc Palayer Orano USA
Norman GarnerFramatome Inc.
JaeJoo Ha Korean Nuclear Society
Scott Nolan Founders Fund
Plenary IV - Fusion and Nuclear Net Zero: Practical Fusion Energy – How Close Are We?
Dr. Kathy McCarthy US ITER Project
Dr. Shunsuke IdeNaka Institute for Fusion Science and Technology
Dr. Darren RadfordCanadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL)
Brad NelsonType One Energy
Dr. Si-Woo (S.W.) YoonKorea Institute of Fusion Energy
The Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference is a broad-based, international conference focused on areas of nuclear technology, engineering and science, and policy issues that accompany nuclear energy programs throughout the Pacific Rim. The meeting is sponsored by the Pacific Nuclear Council (PNC) and American Nuclear Society (ANS). The first meeting was held in 1976 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Subsequent meetings have been held about every two years under the joint sponsorship of the Pacific Nuclear Council (PNC) and a sponsoring PNC Member Society. The conferences have played a vital role in providing for discussion and information relating to both research and development and to the implementation of nuclear energy technology in the Pacific Basin. The Pacific Nuclear Council is composed primarily of nuclear societies and associations from nations around the Pacific Rim. The council exists to share information and best practices on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Today, the council has working groups and task forces addressing waste management, advanced reactors, standards and public information programs. The council also co-sponsors the biennial Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference.
Sponsorship packages are limited, so reserve your sponsorship package early. View our prospectus for more information.
