DOE releases plan for clean energy supply chain

The nuclear sector: Accompanying the general report are 13 issue-specific “deep dive assessments,” including one on the nuclear energy supply chain. “The strength of the nuclear supply chain is directly tied to the strength and growth of the nuclear energy sector,” the authors of the report note in their executive summary. “A strong and growing nuclear energy sector is needed for a strong supply chain. Therefore, the needs, risks, opportunities, and challenges discussed in this report extend beyond uranium and input material supply to address reactor license extensions, retirements due to low electricity prices and other factors, growth opportunities, global competition from state-owned enterprises, intergovernmental agreements, long-term nuclear waste policy, and other interrelated issues.”

Authors of the 65-page nuclear assessment include Ashley Finan, director of the National Reactor Innovation Center; Andrew Foss, a technical program lead at Idaho National Laboratory; Michael Goff, a senior advisor in the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy; Christine King, director of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear; and Christopher Lohse, GAIN’s innovation and technology manager.