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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Powering the future: How the DOE is fueling nuclear fuel cycle research and development
As global interest in nuclear energy surges, the United States must remain at the forefront of research and development to ensure national energy security, advance nuclear technologies, and promote international cooperation on safety and nonproliferation. A crucial step in achieving this is analyzing how funding and resources are allocated to better understand how to direct future research and development. The Department of Energy has spearheaded this effort by funding hundreds of research projects across the country through the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). This initiative has empowered dozens of universities to collaborate toward a nuclear-friendly future.
Irving Spiewak, Robert S. Livingston
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 90 | Number 4 | August 1985 | Pages 501-508
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE85-A18500
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It appears likely that nuclear power plants can be operated safely in excess of the licensed 40 years. This conclusion is based on a systematic review of the plant systems and favorable experience in refurbishing old fossil plants, the Savannah River production reactors and the early British Magnox reactors. The technical areas that may present the greatest difficulty are the reactor pressure vessel, the electrical cable, and reinforced concrete structures. Utilities are also concerned about the difficulty of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's relicensing process, which has not as yet been defined. If license extensions can be obtained, utilities can afford to spend many hundreds of millions of dollars to achieve an additional ten or more years of operation. Nuclear plant life extension has favorable implications for the long-term price of electricity in systems containing nuclear power plants.