U.S. Nuclear Market Eyes SMRs and Large Reactors to Meet Surging Power Demand

In a recent interview with NucNet, Elina Teplinsky, Pillsbury’s Global Energy Industry Leader, discussed the sharp rise in U.S. power demand, particularly driven by artificial intelligence, and projected an increase of over 100 GW by the end of the decade. She emphasized that this surge highlights an urgent need for nuclear energy to help meet the nation’s growing energy needs.

“Given the immediate demand for clean baseload power, the fastest trajectory is to restart recently shut-down nuclear reactors,” Teplinsky said.

Referencing Constellation Energy’s 819-MW Three Mile Island-1 reactor in Pennsylvania, which was shut down in 2019 and is now in the process of being restarted, she noted that utilities and developers are simultaneously pursuing new nuclear builds to meet rising demand.

“The benefits of SMRs are reduced construction timelines, modular construction and lower initial cost outlay with an ability to scale,” she said. “SMR developers are in the process of proving these elements, as these facilities are being built for the very first time.”

At the same time, Teplinsky observed growing interest in large reactors, such as the Westinghouse AP1000. The recent completion of two AP1000 units at the Vogtle nuclear power station in Georgia has boosted industry confidence in advancing additional large-scale reactor projects in the U.S.

“We have a lot of lessons learned from the deployment of these reactors and these lessons can be used in implementing new large reactor projects,” she said. “The AP1000 is an operating technology,” while “advanced reactors offer other benefits including, for Generation IV reactors, the ability to use not just electricity but also heat for industrial applications.”

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