Purpose
- Explores and develops market-based solutions.
Summary
The key priorities of Breakthrough’s Nuclear Energy Innovation Program include public advocacy for nuclear energy; comprehensive regulatory engagement at the NRC; Congressional engagement, inclusive of both congressional oversight of NRC and ongoing policy support for nuclear commercialization; and research and policy development in support of regulatory reform and public and private efforts to deploy advanced nuclear reactors.
Description
The Breakthrough Institute remains the leading advocate for modernizing American nuclear energy policy; commercializing next-generation reactors; and expanding commercial nuclear power capacity, fuel enrichment, and industrial supply chains.
Our Nuclear Energy Innovation team continues to apply our strategy of identifying systemic barriers to nuclear technologies, conducting rigorous analysis, and providing actionable, evidence-based recommendations to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Department of Energy (DOE), Congress, state officials, and the broader stakeholder community. This approach enables us to identify root challenges that often go unaddressed, and advance reforms that facilitate meaningful progress toward nuclear energy commercialization. Our team’s consistent presence and technical leadership make us one of the most trusted independent voices in nuclear policy, as evidenced by the ongoing collaborations we have with senior decision-makers at the NRC, DOE, and several congressional offices and committees.
Regulatory Engagement and Impact
As of October, Breakthrough’s nuclear team has participated in over 150 NRC meetings in 2025, including every meeting on the ADVANCE Act and the White House’s Executive Orders on nuclear policy, and provided comments in the majority of these meetings. No other organization comes close to this level of regulatory engagement. We have received multiple commendations from many NRC staff and even commissioners for our constructive contributions.
Our comments and white papers have directly influenced the NRC’s mission statement revision, improved licensing efficiency provisions, and secured appropriate fee reductions for advanced reactors. Breakthrough’s letters on the ADVANCE Act were included in reports to Congress, and our team was invited to present to NRC leadership on radiation standards and the use of the linear no-threshold (LNT) model. We also provided direct input on harmonizing EPA and NRC approaches to radiological risk, aligning with recent White House executive orders.
The Part 53 licensing framework for advanced reactors also remained a focus in 2025. Following substantial engagement with NRC staff and other advocates throughout 2024, we hosted a Part 53 workshop earlier this year and delivered a comprehensive multi-stakeholder consensus comment, which was endorsed by more than 10 organizations. The nuclear team also submitted a detailed independent comment and continues to advocate for a risk-informed, performance-based framework for advanced reactors.
The NRC is currently reconsidering all regulations, as required by Executive Order 14300. Without a vision for the intended outcome, piecemeal changes can create new problems. We are finalizing our comprehensive “Vision for the NRC” framework to help guide this process.
Research and Policy Leadership
On-time completion of nuclear power projects and mitigating the risk of cost overruns remain key concerns for potential buyers, investors, and utility regulators. In July, we published our Accelerating Commercialization Through Incentivizing On-Time Nuclear (ACTION) report that proposes a novel milestone-based financing framework to promote on-time, on-budget deployment. ACTION has received significant support from Congress, states, and industry. In November, we released Abundant Fuel for Abundant Reactors, a report which demonstrates the need for and policy recommendations to scale-up uranium enrichment capacity in the United States to meet the nuclear fuel requirements of a nuclear-powered future.
In 2026, the nuclear team will publish comprehensive roadmaps for building nuclear order books, overcoming deployment barriers, and advancing industrial heat applications.
Our analysis of the DOE’s nuclear Reactor Pilot Program demonstrated how targeted demonstrations can strengthen investor and regulatory confidence. Our grid and infrastructure research revealed how outdated governance is constraining clean energy growth. Our New York Times-featured work on China’s nuclear expansion underscored the value of predictable licensing, low-rate financing, and standardized construction for U.S. deployment. Additional analyses called for streamlining environmental reviews, improving NRC commissioner vote efficiency, and developing orderbook strategies to scale reactor commercialization.
The nuclear team also engaged stakeholders through the Western Governors Association Energy Superabundance Conference, the annual American Nuclear Society conference, the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative, the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium, and the Power Users Annual Conference. These programs and events are creating momentum towards building a sustainable regulatory and industry ecosystem for nuclear buildout. Staying engaged with academic and professional societies–such as the National Academies of Science, the Health Physics Society, IAEA, and the Roots of Progress fellowship community–has also helped to create visibility for our solutions-based proposals among high-impact decision-makers.
After years of decline, nuclear energy—the canonical ecomodernist technology—now exemplifies the ambitions of the emergent abundance movement, and is a priority for the Trump Administration and both parties in Congress. The Breakthrough Institute has helped change the entire public debate about nuclear over the last fifteen years, and we continue to lead the conversation over practical policy to reinvigorate the American and global nuclear sectors.
Purpose
The key priorities of Breakthrough’s Nuclear Energy Innovation Program include public advocacy for nuclear energy; comprehensive regulatory engagement at the NRC; Congressional engagement, inclusive of both congressional oversight of NRC and ongoing policy support for nuclear commercialization; and research and policy development in support of regulatory reform and public and private efforts to deploy advanced nuclear reactors.
Scope
The key priorities of Breakthrough’s Nuclear Energy Innovation Program include public advocacy for nuclear energy; comprehensive regulatory engagement at the NRC; Congressional engagement, inclusive of both congressional oversight of NRC and ongoing policy support for nuclear commercialization; and research and policy development in support of regulatory reform and public and private efforts to deploy advanced nuclear reactors.
Project Link www.thebreakthrough.org
Amount Approved$20,000.00
on 5/31/2025
(Check sent: 6/6/2025)
