After successful incentives and mobilization, federal agency says to keep eyes peeled for more development.

With a resurgence of nuclear energy in 2022 marking possibly the most significant year for nuclear energy since its inception, 2023 was the year to see if legislation put forth by the Biden administration to reinvigorate this stigmatized power supply would lift off. And according to the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy, it appears to have been a resounding success.

While 2022 was the year of ignition, and 2023 could be considered a year of ascension, this year should see if nuclear truly begins to soar as an option for large-scale zero-carbon energy or if the decades-long disrepute of this inherently radioactive energy source causes the whole thing to jam up.

Toward the end of 2023, DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy released "10 Big Wins for Nuclear Energy in 2023," showcasing major nuclear milestones aimed at charting the U.S. on a course toward net-zero emissions.

From the first nuclear reactor coming online in 2016 to the licensing of the first small modular reactor to cleaner, more efficient nuclear fuel and producing byproducts such as hydrogen as yet another clean fuel, nearly every avenue that can be pursued to fully maximize nuclear was seemingly visited.

Now, DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy has announced the top four stories to watch in 2024.

Vogtle 4

For the second year in a row, the United States will add a new reactor to its fleet.

Expected to enter commercial operation sometime this year, Unit 4 of the Plant Vogtle nuclear power facility in Waynesboro, Georgia, will mark the final reactor coming online. Additionally, once online, Vogtle will become the largest nuclear power station in the U.S.

Once operational, Units 3 and 4 will generate approximately 2,200 megawatts of clean, baseload energy. Between all its reactors, Plant Vogtle will generate upwards of 4,800MW of electricity – enough to power anywhere between 1.9 million and 4.3 million American homes, depending on various factors.

Since receiving immense support from DOE through a $12 billion loan under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, this project has been ongoing since 2009, supported nearly 10,000 jobs, and provided immense economic support locally and statewide.

Domestic HALEU

Enabling a resurgence of nuclear energy, DOE has been diligently working toward a reliable supply of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) by incentivizing the commercial industry to build new production capacity.

Starting with a first-of-its-kind demonstration plant constructed in Piketon, Ohio, Centrus Energy Corp. produced the nation's first 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of HALEU, which will be used to help fuel the initial cores of DOE's two demonstration reactors.

HALEU is required by many advanced reactor designs to facilitate smaller sizes, longer operating cycles, and overall increased efficiencies over existing technologies.

Until Centrus, HALEU was not available domestically, which caused gaps in the nation's fuel cycle infrastructure and ultimately delayed the deployment of advanced reactors in the timeframe projected to reach a net-zero emission economy by 2050.

Now, the Piketon plant is currently the only facility in the U.S. licensed to enrich uranium up to HALEU levels of around 20%.

DOE is currently finalizing a formal process to distribute HALEU to developers through its HALEU Consortium as early as this summer using limited quantities of this government-owned material.

To offset the strategic risk of a single domestic supplier, DOE is also planning to award further contracts for enrichment and deconversion services before the year is out.

More reactors

While this year will see the initialization of Vogtle 4, three advanced reactor developers are currently working with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to potentially submit their own construction permit applications before the end of the year.

Bill Gates-founded TerraPower plans to build its sodium-cooled fast reactor and molten salt energy storage system near a retiring coal plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

X-energy, out of Rockville, Maryland, plans to build a four-unit, high-temperature gas reactor plant at Fortune 500 Dow Chemical Company's Seadrift manufacturing site in Texas.

Both of these projects are managed by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations and are receiving roughly $2.5 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the licensing, construction, and demonstration of their first-of-a-kind reactor technologies.

Tennessee Valley Authority also plans to submit a construction permit application for the potential deployment of GE-Hitachi's BWRX-300 advanced light water small modular reactor at the Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Hydrogen byproduct

Finally, two nuclear-powered hydrogen demonstration projects could start clean hydrogen production this year.

Energy Harbor, an electric utility company out of Akron, Ohio, is working to demonstrate an electrolysis system at its Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station.

The hydrogen from this plant could be sold in the area for local manufacturing and transportation services, including fuel for a local bus fleet.

While Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Xcel Energy plans to demonstrate clean hydrogen production through its first-of-a-kind project using high-temperature electrolysis at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant.

Both projects are being supported by DOE to help lower the cost and scale up the production of clean hydrogen using existing reactors, which could open new markets for the nuclear sector.

Stay tuned

With the resounding success of mobilizing the private sector to engage in nuclear solutions, this year could begin seeing further deployment and activity toward reinvigorating the aging energy infrastructure in America.

While the green transition outwardly is rapt on the manufacture of electric vehicles, it is a reality that without abundant, affordable, and clean electricity to "fill up" those EVs, everyday consumers will not be taking that leap until it becomes less risk averse to leaving them stranded miles from the nearest charging station.