WEBINARS

Webinar: 2023 California Environmental Assembly – Can Modular Nuclear Reactors Help Save the Planet?

February 2, 2023

For decades, the mainstream California environmental community has firmly been opposed to the proliferation of nuclear power facilities. As the energy sector is transitioning to support a clean economy, the need for nuclear technology is changing and new advanced reactors being designed and demonstrated today are distinctly different from the reactors built several decades ago. In fall 2022, California passed legislation to extend the life of Diablo Canyon by 5 years in recognition of its contribution to carbon free energy. Are these changes enough to warrant reconsideration of the historical position of environmentalists, not just in California but around the world?

Our panelists will discuss the latest energy models to achieve a clean economy and how nuclear may contribute, how nuclear technology has changed and the impact on safety and waste. They will discuss how the DOE is supporting the demonstration of these new technologies. They will also discuss the state and local efforts underway across the nation to conduct feasibility studies associated with these new technologies including repowering coal stations with advanced nuclear technology.

The panel will also address abiding skepticism about the short- and long-term dollar costs associated with the production and installation of Modular Nuclear Reactors and will examine the critical question of how fast MNR’S can be brought on line in sufficient quantity to materially slow global warming.

Conference participants are encouraged to join the panel and be prepared to ask what they might consider to be “tough” questions, keeping in mind the evolving and growing extreme hazards of unchecked climate change.”

Moderator: Todd Allmendinger, Director of Consulting and Research, Cleantech Group (bio pending)

Panelists:

Alice Caponiti, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reactor Fleet and Advanced Reactor Deployment, Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy
Christine King, Director of Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), Idaho National Laboratory
Dr Mike Laufer, CEO Kairos Power