New Nuclear, U.S. Policy Boost Safety, Buildouts

At POWERGEN 2025, Scott Hunnewell, VP of the New Nuclear Program at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), shared how nuclear stands out from other carbon-free energy sources, how U.S. policy is advancing nuclear buildout, and differentiates advanced nuclear from traditional nuclear.

TURBO: How can nuclear power enhance the U.S. energy landscape compared to other forms of power generation?

Hunnewell: Nuclear power is carbon-free, but it's reliable and dependable; it's 24/7 power. Solar and wind are also carbon-free, but they're not baseload, and they're not dispatchable—if the sun's not shining and the wind's not blowing, they're not producing electricity. And last time I checked, everyone gets upset if they flip their light switch and the lights don't come on.

TURBO: How is U.S. policy accelerating the buildout of next-generation nuclear energy?

Hunnewell: There are several things that the U.S. government has done through the Department of Energy (DOE). The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) grants through the DOE have advanced TerraPower’s Natrium reactor and research on other reactors. And there's currently a grant that's under evaluation by the DOE for $800 million that TVA, along with several partners, has applied for, and if we're successful in obtaining that grant, we believe that it will reduce our timeline for the potential deployment of a nuclear reactor our Clinch River Nuclear Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee by two years.

Check out our other video with Scott Hunnewell here.