Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee recently hosted the Advanced Reactors Technical Summit III to discuss nuclear-technology innovations with more than 180 industry participants from the academic, government and industrial sectors.
The event's focus was on sharing ideas and networking to support various advanced-reactor projects worldwide. The summit was sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council, along with the Summit III Organizing Committee and ORNL.
Attendees included government, industry and academic experts. Attendance was more than triple that of last year, which leaders attribute to increased interest in the field.
“Attendance was strong, as we’re seeing a growing interest in advanced reactors,” Alan Icenhour, ORNL associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Engineering, said. “Some 40 companies are developing new reactors worldwide, and we’ve seen investments of an estimated $1.3 billion.”
The event was held after the Energy Department said it will invest $6 million in advance-reactor projects by Southern Company Services and X-energy, which will facilitate cooperation among the companies' teams and personnel at universities and national laboratories to further the research.
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