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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
Educational Session|Panel|Plant Reliability
Tuesday, August 9, 2022|10:30AM–12:00PM EDT|Banyan 2
Session Chair:
Tim Schlimpert (MCR)
Track Organizer:
Emmett Wilmes (MPR)
Knowledge Manager:
Ashley Bridgmon (Southern Co.)
With higher labor costs compared to other generation fuel sources, Nuclear Plants are highly incented to maintain reliability during operating cycles, making the most of every hour generating electricity. Over time, the industry has realized reliability today is driven by investment decisions made years in the past through long range planning. Aging and obsolescence issues may take decades to develop into current threats to reliability. If there were no limitations on funding, human resources, or capacity factors, maintaining reliability would not be such a challenge. However, having limitations in all these areas, licensees are forced to make sound investment decisions many fuel cycles into the future. The importance of these decisions is even more relevant when Subsequent License Renewals are at stake. This session will present approaches to optimize future capital investment including the extended horizons of Subsequent License Renewals. The panel will discuss the challenges of “complete discovery” and the value of portfolio optimization.
John Crawford
TVA
Garrett Sizer
CLT
Matt Chouinard
Constellation
Eric Michael
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Session Notes
