As the global community continues to grapple with the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Atlantic Council is open for business. Our business, meetings, and events, however, are occurring virtually. For more information, please read an update from our President and CEO.

Please join the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center on Thursday, June 3, from 4:30 – 5:30 PM EDT for a conversation with senior nuclear experts.

The discussion will focus on the role of advanced nuclear energy systems for the purpose of reducing carbon from fossil fuels and supporting global clean energy growth, and the essential role of the Versatile Test Reactor in supporting innovation in nuclear energy. It will address issues related to safety and security by design, how the VTR can enhance those features in the next generation of nuclear technologies, and how advanced reactor systems can incorporate enhanced safety and safeguard features.

As the United States accelerates its engagement on advanced nuclear research and development, the US Department of Energy and other federal bodies are adapting policies and procedures to assure that these new technologies are safe and secure and are deployed in a way that supports both climate and national security goals. In this moderated discussion, nuclear energy policy and technology experts will share their insights on pathways to continued innovation, international security, and the continued value of the nuclear power sector.

Please join this conversation via the web application Zoom, which is accessible through your web browser, the Zoom desktop or mobile app, and by phone. If you wish to join the question and answer period, you must join by app or web. Register below to receive further information on how to join the virtual audience.

Opening Remarks

Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr.
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Lightbridge Corporation

A conversation with

Laura Holgate, Ambassador (ret.)
Vice President, Materials Risk Management
Nuclear Threat Initiative

Jackie Kempfer
Director of Government Affairs
Oklo, Inc.;
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Atlantic Council Global Energy Center

Kenneth Luongo
President
Partnership for Global Security

Dr. Kemal Pasamehmetoglu
Executive Director for the Versatile Test Reactor
Idaho National Laboratory

Moderated by

Dr. Jennifer Gordon
Managing Editor and Senior Fellow
Atlantic Council Global Energy Center

Related content

Fast reactors, the Versatile Test Reactor, and nuclear safety and nonproliferation

EnergySource Feb 19, 2021

How a HALEU bank could work

By Stephen S. Greene

Lack of a long-term, reliable source of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel represents a critical risk to the deployment of advanced reactors, which could be a key source of carbon-free electricity in the future. However, a HALEU fuel bank could resolve the conundrum facing advanced reactor developers and potential HALEU fuel suppliers by supporting the production of HALEU for advanced reactors and resolving the uncertainty faced by reactor developers and their potential customers and sources of financing.
Energy & Environment Nuclear Energy
Fast reactors, the Versatile Test Reactor, and nuclear safety and nonproliferation

EnergySource Feb 12, 2021

As the United States develops advanced reactors, a new fuel supply chain is critical to national security

By Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr. and Admiral Richard Mies

Over the past five years, the United States has made meaningful progress in the development of advanced nuclear reactor designs critical to keeping the country on the cutting edge of nuclear technology. These positive trends signal a growing need for the Department of Energy to address a key challenge that many reactor developers face as they move toward deployment: the lack of a reliable source of high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel.
Energy & Environment Nuclear Energy
Fast reactors, the Versatile Test Reactor, and nuclear safety and nonproliferation

Issue Brief Jan 9, 2020

International co-financing of nuclear reactors between the United States and its allies

By Jennifer T. Gordon

As Russia and China seek out third-party countries with demand for nuclear energy, can the United States and its allies determine how to cooperate on co-financing agreements and become greater than the sum of their parts?
Geopolitics & Energy Security Nuclear Energy

The Global Energy Center develops and promotes pragmatic and nonpartisan policy solutions designed to advance global energy security, enhance economic opportunity, and accelerate pathways to net-zero emissions.

LEARN MORE