Today’s message from the nuclear energy community is clear: Unexpected new energy demands, and the unconventional business models that come with them, offer the best prospect in decades for delivering on new nuclear’s promise. If these opportunities are cultivated, they could restart a civilian nuclear power enterprise competitive on cost and at scale with other energy sources. The incoming presidential administration can achieve this by assigning clear leadership and accountability for outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- After a flattening of electricity demand in the 1980s, the United States is seeing a return to demand growth due to such uses as artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
- Nontraditional energy buyers—such as tech companies who value “24/7 clean energy” or manufacturers who value clean high-temperature heat—are bringing new business and financing models that significantly change the economic environment for further bringing nuclear power into the energy mix.
- The next administration should assign institutional responsibility to capitalize on these opportunities, not just to demonstrate promising new nuclear technologies but to credibly move them down the curve from first-of-a-kind to nth-of-a-kind costs.
Changing the Landscape for New Nuclear Power by Hoover Institution
Cite this essay:
John Deutch, William Madia, Steven Koonin, James O. Ellis Jr., and David Fedor. “Changing the Landscape for New Nuclear Power.” George P. Shultz Energy Policy Working Group, Hoover Institution. January 2025.
