Please join the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and Good Energy Collective virtually on Tuesday, July 11 from 6:30 – 7:30 PM ET for the launch of the report, The imperative of the Versatile Test Reactor for nuclear innovation.
In 2018, Congress passed legislation with bipartisan support to investigate the need for a domestic fast neutron irradiation testing capability, based on the argument that the existing test reactors in the United States would be insufficient to meet new demand for materials and fuels testing from the next generation of advanced reactors. However, in 2021, Congress zeroed out the budget for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), leaving the United States without plans to build a domestic advanced test reactor.
In this report, authors Jackie Toth and Khalil Ryan argue that the United States will lose its competitive edge against adversaries (especially Russia) if it lacks a fully realized nuclear energy innovation ecosystem, of which the VTR is a crucial component.
This conversation will take place on Zoom and will be broadcast on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
Welcoming remarks and moderated by
Moderated discussion with
John Kotek
Senior Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute
Kemal Pasamehmetoglu
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center
Former Executive Director, Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) Program, Idaho National Laboratory
Jackie Toth
Deputy Director, Good Energy Collective
READ REPORT
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.