“It’s GAIN’s job to help answer questions by providing unbiased, factual information to communities,” said Christine King, GAIN director. “Nuclear energy may not be the answer in all instances, but we can pull expertise from around the nation’s national labs to serve as a trusted resource.”
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy announced on June 5 that it has awarded vouchers to three nuclear companies from its Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program to research nuclear fuel and materials.
June 5, 2025 – The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) announced today that three companies will be provided vouchers to Advancing Nuclear Fuel, Materials, and Sensors Companies. The vouchers provide companies access to the extensive nuclear research capabilities and expertise available 25.across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory complex. This is the second round of GAIN vouchers awarded for FY 2025
A study by the U.S. Department of Energy involving national laboratories identified 157 retired coal plant sites and 237 operating coal plants sites as potential candidates for the coal-to-nuclear transition.
Christine King, the Department of Energy’s director of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear previously told the Deseret News the research showed that the most valuable connection in the site analysis was connection to the grid, the transmission, existing substations and even the administration buildings.
The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) to launch the Advanced Nuclear First Movers Initiative. The Initiative, directed by state energy offices, is led by state co-chairs New York, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wyoming, and the participating states Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
INL serves as the GAIN integrator for NE for a reason, said Jess Gehin, associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology at INL. “INL’s significant experience in leading nuclear energy R&D programs made it the ideal choice to head the GAIN initiative and work with other national laboratories on GAIN’s mission.”
GAIN was created in 2015 to “provide the nuclear community with a single point of access to the broad range of capabilities — people, facilities, materials and data — across the DOE complex and its national laboratory capabilities.”
INL serves as the GAIN integrator for NE for a reason, said Jess Gehin, associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology at INL. “INL’s significant experience in leading nuclear energy R&D programs made it the ideal choice to head the GAIN initiative and work with other national laboratories on GAIN’s mission.”
The study conducted by The Idaho National Laboratory’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program highlighted significant regional economic and workforce benefits from transitioning the Coronado power plant to nuclear energy. GAIN compared the potential regional economic outcomes of allowing the existing plant to retire versus repowering it.
December 19, 2024 – The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) announced today that four companies will be provided vouchers to advance nuclear fuel and technologies. The vouchers provide companies access to the extensive nuclear research capabilities and expertise available across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory complex. This is the first round of GAIN vouchers awarded for FY 2025.
October 2024 – Researchers are engaging directly with communities to learn more about local opinions and how to build social and cultural metrics into their energy-planning analysis. That’s work that’s also being done at ORNL, where the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) works with individual sites and utilities to run economic analyses and provide decision-making resources.
September 24, 2024 – The Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) announced today that four companies will be provided a GAIN Nuclear Energy (NE) Voucher to accelerate the innovation and application of advanced nuclear technologies. NE vouchers provide advanced nuclear technology innovators with access to the extensive nuclear research capabilities and expertise available across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory complex. This is the fourth award for FY 2024.