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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
Executive Session|Panel|Sponsored by Executive Track
Thursday, December 2, 2021|10:00–11:45AM EST |International Ballroom East
Session Chair:
Leah Parks (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)
Alternate Chair:
Laura Hermann (Allied Nuclear)
Student Assistant:
Jacob Tellez
While the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the major framework for international co-operation on climate change, a variety of clean energy and climate efforts have formed. One such effort is the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), which has become the leading ministerial forum for issues of global clean energy deployment. The U.S. hosted the original meeting of the CEM in 2010 and also hosted CEM7 in 2016. Over a decade after its inception, the 13th CEM meeting in 2022 will again be held in the U.S., this time hosted by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. Three years ago, ministers from the U.S., Japan, and Canada established, under CEM, the Nuclear Innovation Clean Energy Future (NICE Future) initiative, which highlights the various roles nuclear energy can play in clean energy systems today and in the future. NICE Future currently has 13 participant countries and 17 partner organizations. Attendees will hear from those engaged with NICE Future about the history of the CEM talks, the evolution of the nuclear energy conversation within the CEM, and recent reflections by policymakers on accelerated pathways to net zero using nuclear innovation.
Sama León
Director General, World Nuclear Association
Giulia Bisconti
Office of Nuclear Energy, DOE
Josh Freed
Senior Vice President for the Climate and Energy Program, Third Way
Nicholas McMurray
Senior Program Director for Nuclear Energy, ClearPath
Edith Greaves
U.K. Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Civil Nuclear and Resilience Directorate
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