Interest in nuclear power is surging. Is it enough to build new reactors?

May Be Interested In:Sri Lanka v Australia: second men’s cricket Test, day four – live


In much of the world (China being a notable exception), building new nuclear capacity has historically been expensive and slow. It’s easy to point at Plant Vogtle in the US: The third and fourth reactors at that facility began construction in 2009. They were originally scheduled to start up in 2016 and 2017, at a cost of around $14 billion. They actually came online in 2023 and 2024, and the total cost of the project was north of $30 billion.

Some advanced technology has promised to fix the problems in nuclear power. Small modular reactors could help cut cost and construction times, and next-generation reactors promise safety and efficiency improvements that could translate to cheaper, quicker construction. Realistically, though, getting these first-of-their-kind projects off the ground will still require a lot of money and a sustained commitment to making them happen. “The next four years are make or break for advanced nuclear,” says Jessica Lovering, cofounder at the Good Energy Collective, a policy research organization that advocates for the use of nuclear energy.  

There are a few factors that could help the progress we’ve seen recently in nuclear extend to new builds. For one, public support from the US Department of Energy includes not only tax credits but public loans and grants for demonstration projects, which can be a key stepping stone to commercial plants that generate electricity for the grid. 

Changes to the regulatory process could also help. The Advance Act, passed in 2024, aims at sprucing up the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the hopes of making the approval process more efficient (currently, it can take up to five years to complete). 

“If you can see the NRC really start to modernize toward a more efficient, effective, and predictable regulator, it really helps the case for a lot of these commercial projects, because the NRC will no longer be seen as this barrier to innovation,” says Patrick White, research director at the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, a nonprofit think tank. We should start to see changes from that legislation this year, though what happens could depend on the Trump administration.

The next few years are crucial for next-generation nuclear technology, and how the industry fares between now and the end of the decade could be very telling when it comes to how big a role this technology plays in our longer-term efforts to decarbonize energy. 

share Share facebook pinterest whatsapp x print

Similar Content

I wore the Garmin Forerunner 165 for a month and now it’s my new favorite running watch
I wore the Garmin Forerunner 165 for a month and now it’s my new favorite running watch
Trump puts all US government DEI staff on paid leave 'immediately'
Trump puts all US government DEI staff on paid leave ‘immediately’
Neuronal-ILC2 interactions regulate pancreatic glucagon and glucose homeostasis | Science
Neuronal-ILC2 interactions regulate pancreatic glucagon and glucose homeostasis | Science
4 of Canada's biggest banks leave Mark Carney-led climate initiative | CBC News
4 of Canada’s biggest banks leave Mark Carney-led climate initiative | CBC News
Health Providers Gird for Immigration Crackdown - KFF Health News
Health Providers Gird for Immigration Crackdown – KFF Health News
For Many Rural Women, Finding Maternity Care Eclipses Concerns About Abortion Access
3 dead including suspect and 2 officers hurt in shooting at Indiana grocery store
Truth Tellers: Bringing the World to Your Screen | © 2025 | Daily News