Understanding the Societal Challenges Facing Nuclear Power

Nuclear reactors can provide low-carbon energy, and advanced nuclear technologies could play an important role in moving the United States toward a zero-carbon future. Next-generation nuclear reactors have the potential to be smaller, safer, less expensive to build, and better integrated with the modern grid. However, the technical, economic, and regulatory outlook for these technologies remains uncertain.

The Committee on Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the United States was convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to identify opportunities and barriers to the commercialization of new and advanced nuclear reactor technologies in the United States over the next 30 years as part of a decarbonization strategy. To support its information gathering, the committee convened a workshop on September 1-3, 2021, titled Understanding the Societal Challenges Facing Nuclear Power. Speakers and participants from industry, government, and academia discussed the nature and extent of the societal challenges facing nuclear energy as well as lessons from past experiences in the nuclear industry, from analogous industries, and from the social sciences. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.