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U.S. Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) introduced legislation designed to accelerate next-generation nuclear energy technology deployment and to strengthen U.S. energy leadership, officials said on Tuesday.
The legislation, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment Act (NEIDA) would establish pathways to moving innovative nuclear technologies from demonstration to deployment at scale. The senators said the legislation is necessary to meet the growth in U.S. energy demand, as well as to compete with countries like China and Russia as they build and export nuclear technologies.
“Electricity demand is rising at a pace we haven’t seen in generations,” Lee said. “We can meet that demand, or we can fall behind. The biggest obstacle is our inability to build. To meet demand, we must accelerate the development of nuclear energy by removing regulatory barriers, unlocking federal resources, and creating a path from demonstration to deployment. Other countries are already preparing their grids for the next generation of technologies. The United States should be doing the same.”
The legislation addresses long-standing regulatory and structural barriers that have slowed nuclear innovation, the law makers said. If passed, the bill would modernize and clarify the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) authority over nuclear facilities and materials, while bridging the gap between first-of-a-kind reactor development and widespread commercial deployment. Building on recent executive actions and ongoing DOE initiatives, officials said the legislation would modernize the country’s nuclear energy framework and strengthen American energy dominance.
The legislation will also create a Nuclear Energy Launch Pad that would designate certain federal and non-federal sites as a place where private companies can test and demonstrate advanced nuclear technologies under DOE authorities.
The bill is supported by many nuclear energy sector organizations including Aalo Atomics, Terrestrial Energy, Deep Fission, and Valar Atomics.
“This legislation clarifies regulatory pathways for new reactor designs to achieve certification and begin providing needed electric capacity to the grid,” Matt Loszak, CEO of Aalo Atomics, said. “The Nuclear Energy Launch Pad meaningfully expands opportunities for private companies to demonstrate their technologies in partnership with the Department of Energy. As a Texas-based developer of extra modular reactors (XMRs) already partnering with the Idaho National Laboratory on our Aalo-X demonstration unit, with a target for achieving criticality by July 4th, we strongly support these legislative reforms that would serve to grow our already robust relationship with the U.S. Department of Energy.”