Third Way Calls Recent Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program Awards “A Very Big Deal”

Washington - “The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) awards are a very big deal and represent the United States’ move into the next phase of getting advanced reactors to commercialization,” said Josh Freed, Senior Vice President of Third Way’s Climate and Energy Program.

“It’s hard to believe how far advanced nuclear has come in such a short time. It was only 2015 when we launched our US advanced nuclear map series as part of a small group of NGOs and innovators arguing that advanced nuclear could play an important role in addressing climate change. The Department of Energy’s decision means the United States has invested, across two administrations now, in developing truly advanced nuclear technologies that can be ready in time to help the electricity and industrial sectors here and globally get to net-zero carbon affordably, safely, and integrated with renewables. As we wrote in August 2020, with the United States already wisely invested in small modular light water reactors, awarding grants to developers who will build next-generation nuclear technologies is the best approach for our future. We know, as we found in our recent map of the worldwide market for these reactors, that there is significant global interest in advanced nuclear. The ARDP announcement means that the country is firmly committed to competing with Russia and China in the potential advanced nuclear market. It is critical for economic, safety, proliferation, labor, and climate reasons that the United States leads the way.”