The path to market for new nuclear reactors

9 snips

Feb 5, 2026

Katy Huff, former DOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy and current University of Illinois professor focused on nuclear policy and licensing. She breaks down licensing pathways, the NRC’s opaque pre-application maze, why DOE’s “criticality by July 4” goal is extremely aggressive, microreactor economics and factory needs, and realistic timelines for advanced reactors reaching the grid.

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ADVICE

Engage NRC Early And Prepare Paperwork

Engage the NRC early with a regulatory engagement plan and public outreach before filing applications.
Prepare billing info and readiness assessments to make pre-application interactions meaningful.

INSIGHT

Environmental Reviews Can Be The Long Pole

Environmental reviews (NEPA) can rival reactor safety reviews in time and complexity.
Site-specific environmental work can therefore be a critical path item separate from reactor design review.

INSIGHT

Political Pressure Meets Staffing Limits

The NRC faces pressure to speed up but is constrained by staff shortages and many new deadlines.
Administrative directives and rulemaking requests add workload that can slow licensing despite political support.

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Spurred by a suite of executive orders and investments from the federal government, new nuclear reactors are coming soon. Or the announcements are at least.

The advanced nuclear sector has found itself in the spotlight as companies race to acquire licenses and permits aimed at achieving "criticality.” But what do these milestones signify? And is hitting the deadlines even feasible?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Katy Huff, former assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the Department of Energy and current associate professor at the University of Illinois. They unpack the wave of new nuclear announcements, the realities of navigating an arcane regulatory gauntlet, and what Katy considers a realistic timeline for new nuclear deployment.

Shayle and Katy cover topics like:

The NRC’s “murky” pre-application process
The differences between various licensing pathways
Why Katy views the DOE’s goal to have three reactors reach criticality by July 4th as “an extremely aggressive milestone”
Upcoming revised guidance on nuclear radiation dose rates
The challenges facing the DOE amidst a staff shortage
Katy’s assessment of a feasible timeline for getting new reactors operational
Why Katy doesn’t think microreactors are economically scalable…yet

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Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

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