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August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
Charles W. Forsberg, Patrick J. McDaniel, Bahman Zohuri
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 4 | April 2021 | Pages 543-557
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1785793
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Electricity markets are changing because of (1) the addition of wind and solar generating capacity and (2) the goal of a low-carbon electricity grid. The large-scale addition of wind and solar photovoltaics results in low wholesale electricity prices at times of high wind and solar output and high prices at times of low wind and solar input. Today, gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) plants burning natural gas or oil provide dispatchable electricity and provide the most economic method to match electricity production with demand. Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined Cycles (NACCs) with heat storage and a thermodynamic topping cycle enable base-load nuclear plants with sodium or salt coolants to provide dispatchable electricity to the grid and heat to industry. This capability maximizes nuclear plant revenue and enables a base-load nuclear reactor with NACCs to be a low-carbon replacement for a GTCC. The NACC power cycle, alternative heat storage technologies, and development status of the different technologies are described. The technology applies to other heat generating technologies including high-temperature concentrated solar power and future fusion systems.