Executive Summary

There is a growing consensus that both existing and advanced nuclear could play important roles in the decarbonization of the electricity grid and other parts of the U.S. and Canadian economies. Decarbonization of the electricity, transportation, and industrial heating sectors could come from large amounts of firm, carbon-free energy produced through nuclear technology. Recent studies, like those by EPRI, DOE, and Vibrant Clean Energy, conclude that there is a large market opportunity for cost-competitive firm, clean energy sources, including nuclear energy. The nuclear energy industry is taking action to enable nuclear energy to meet the market demand through the continued operation of existing reactors and the commercialization of advanced reactors, which could be called upon to provide 60 to 400 GW of generating capacity as a carbon-free option by 2050. The purpose of this Advanced Reactor Roadmap is to outline the critical strategies and support actions necessary for the successful large-scale deployment of advanced reactors. This will be a living document that evolves and refocuses strategies and actions as the future unfolds. The Advanced Reactor Roadmap’s intended audiences are potential customers (owners and energy off-takers), policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, public stakeholders, and industry stakeholders. The roadmap, developed through a multistakeholder process, including experts from advanced reactor developers, suppliers, utilities, researchers, and industry associations, describes an achievable path to facilitate the successful commercialization of advanced reactors, spur and support the necessary actions, and enable deployment at the levels needed. The approach that the industry is taking to enable the value of advanced reactors to fulfill critical market needs is focused on three key things:

1. Commercializing advanced reactor technologies that deliver the desired value
2. Establishing a portfolio of advanced reactor technologies to meet a diverse set of market and customer needs
3. Ensuring that the commercialization of these technologies is both cost-effective and on track to meet the milestones for decarbonization on time

The approach relies on disruptive innovations that develop advanced reactors with benefits that deliver value to the market, including easing deployment challenges, accelerating deployments, and increasing costcompetitiveness, all while increasing safety and maintaining reliability. This requires the industry to change how it designs, deploys, and operates advanced reactors. The approach is framed to allow a realistic, phased, and riskmanaged approach to deploying advanced nuclear technology. This approach of establishing, advancing, and expanding to scale (EAE) (see Figure 1) is the basis for pursuing industry priorities by setting up early wins, derisking for owners, and creating fast followers. Finally, the active involvement of industry leaders has been a key driver for multistakeholder collaboration in developing this roadmap. Continued industry leadership is essential to execute and drive the strategy, promote collaboration and coordination, and ensure that actions are being completed on the roadmap, which need to be taken now to ensure that the 2050 vision can be achieved. Industry leadership must articulate a vision that builds confidence, attracts capital and investment, inspires the industry to overcome the inevitable challenges, brings technology to the market, and achieves the needed deployments. The 2050 goal is possible only if we start now.