Three Reforms to Improve Nuclear Energy’s Economic Outlook

Nick Loris writes in The National Interest about three reforms that would improve the nuclear sector’s economic outlook, drawing on his recent testimony before the Senate.

Outdated regulations and high procedural requirements are inflating nuclear costs and slowing America’s clean energy expansion.

Nuclear energy is safe, clean, reliable, and scalable. It can power the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, revitalize industrial communities, and help meet our environmental ambitions. So why does building a nuclear plant in the United States cost so much?

Part of the answer is capital cost inflation and labor. Nuclear plants are capital-intensive and require many specialized engineers and expertise. But a significant and often overlooked driver is the regulatory framework. Not only was it built for a different era, but it also calcified into a system that increasingly added cost, time, and uncertainty without meaningfully improving public health or safety. 

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