Tuesday, June 27
|
7:45 – 8:30 a.m. |
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Badging & Welcome |
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. |
Transportation to INL Field Sites |
9:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. |
INL Tours, including:
- Advanced Test Reactor
- Transient Reactor Test Facility
- Materials and Fuels Complex
- Advanced Reactor Demonstration Panel
- Space Systems Building
|
4:15 – 5:15 p.m. |
Transportation to hotel |
Wednesday, June 28
|
8:45 – 9:30 a.m. |
INL Welcome & Overview
INL staff provided NLWG members with an overview of the laboratory’s work and mission.
- John Revier, director, external engagement and communications, Idaho National Laboratory (Link to slides)
|
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. |
INL Tours: Energy Systems Laboratory, including:
- Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Lab
- Integrated Systems and Hydrogen
- Microgrids
- Battery Lab
|
11:30 – 12:30 p.m. |
Lunch |
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. |
Session: Workforce Development: The Challenge and the Opportunity
A technically skilled and well-trained workforce will be critical to the success of a resurgent nuclear energy industry and DOE-EM’s mission to safely remediate land and handle waste cleanup at sites across the complex. However, workforce constraints a driven by an aging workforce and looming retirements, technological innovation and shifting economic dynamics, are challenging these sectors. This session explored how states, local governments and educational institutions are partnering to address these challenges to advance cleanup priorities and realize the opportunities presented by next-generation nuclear technologies.
- Dave Lent, Senator, Idaho (Link to slides)
- Hope Morrow, manager of workforce & economic programs, Idaho National Laboratory (Link to slides)
- Lisa Marshall, extension assistant professor & director of outreach, retention and engagement, Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University (Link to slides)
|
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. |
Session: Cleanup to Clean Energy: Idaho Takes Initiative
This session provided a case study in the work being done at the state and local level to help accelerate advanced reactor development around Idaho Falls. By leveraging the expertise at INL and its role as a DOE cleanup community, Idaho Falls has positioned itself at the forefront of advanced reactor technology development. Local, state and industry representatives will provide insight into the partnerships, policies and relationships that have been key to establishing its position and building community support.
|
2:30 – 2:40 p.m. |
Break |
2:40 – 2:50 p.m. |
Session: Overview of State Nuclear Policy Trends
States have enacted increasingly ambitious policies around nuclear energy over the past several years. This session provided a review of major policy developments and trends.
|
2:50 – 4:30 p.m. |
NLWG Business Meeting
- Opening remarks from NLWG Co-Chair & Immediate Past Co-Chair
- Senator Matt Boehnke, Washington
- Representative John Ragan, Tennessee
- Remarks from DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy
- Billy Valderrama, senior advisor, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy
- Remarks from DOE’s Office of Environmental Management
- Stephen Clutter, director of external affairs, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (Link to slides)
- Round-Table Updates & Introductions
- NLWG members had the opportunity to discuss relevant policy and other recent nuclear-related developments in their states.
|
4:30 p.m. |
Return to hotel |
Thursday, June 29
|
8:30 – 9:15 a.m. |
Session: The Idaho Cleanup & DOE-EM’s Strategic Vision
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) is tasked to safely cleanup the environmental legacy brought about from decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. DOE-EM's efforts over the last 30 years have reduced the environmental remediation footprint from 3,300 square miles to less than 300 square miles. Cleanup efforts have been completed at 92 out the 107 sites. This session explored some of the main accomplishments at the Idaho Cleanup Project, and EM’s vision for progress over the coming decade.
- Connie Flohr, manager – Idaho Cleanup Project, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (Link to slides)
|
9:15 – 10:30 a.m. |
Session: Navigating the Advanced Reactor Landscape: The Road to Commercializing Advanced Technologies
The list of new advanced reactor designs seems to be continually growing. A recent report outlined nearly 20 of the leading designs—some modern takes on existing lightwater technologies, while others propose to use new types of fuels and moderators like liquid metals or molten salts. Many of these reactor concepts are small and will rely on modular fabrication, while all of them have been designed with enhanced safety features. This session explored the range of technologies that are currently under development, highlight commonalities and provided an opportunity to hear from several advanced reactor companies about their concepts, timelines and business models.
- Victor Ibarra, Jr., nuclear innovation analyst, Nuclear Innovation Alliance (Link to slides)
- Stephanie Weir, siting and regulatory strategy manager, National Reactor Innovation Center (Link to slides)
- Chad Boyer, principal technical leader – Nuclear Sector, Electric Power Research Institute (Link to slides)
- Bruce Hilton, lead – Fuels and Materials Development, TerraPower (Link to slides)
|
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. |
Break |
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. |
Session: Microreactors: Small Scale, Big Potential
While significant attention has been paid to small modular reactor (SMR) designs, recent developments have highlighted the potential for even smaller reactors to serve a variety of unique functions, including to provide resilience services and to serve as carbon-free anchor resources for remote community microgrids. Due to this potential, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has been exploring how mobile microreactors could benefit military operations to provide reliable and resilient power. This session explored the unique characteristics that could enable microreactors to grow into a major player in the nuclear energy industry over the coming decades.
- Yasir Arafat, MARVEL chief designer and project lead, Idaho National Laboratory (Link to slides)
- Justin Coleman, manager, Special Reactor Concepts & Senior Technical Advisor on Microreactors – Reactor System Design and Analysis, Idaho National Laboratory (Link to slides)
|
11:45 a.m. |
Adjourn meeting |