Small Reactor Innovations Spur Global Interest in Nuclear Energy

With the ‘democratization of nuclear’ on the horizon, regulators wonder whether inspections, licensing can be streamlined without compromising safety.

Four of the cooling towers of the Dukovany nuclear power plant rise high above the natural surroundings of Dukovany, Czech Republic, on Sept. 27, 2011. Petr David Josek/AP Photo

Few nations that have signed onto the Paris Agreement are meeting its decarbonization goals, but with 31 nations—including the United States—signing onto a separate $300 billion pledge to triple nuclear energy generation by 2050, those aims remain viable, panelists at a May 1 discussion on nuclear energy expansion concurred.

“This shift has been long overdue,” said William Magwood, director-general of the Nuclear Energy Agency, a Paris-based liaison of government organizations that coordinates practices and policies related to advanced nuclear technology.