Light Water Reactor Sustainability

Sustaining National Nuclear Assets

The mission of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program is to develop the scientific basis, and science-based methodologies and tools, for the safe economical long-term operation of the nation’s high-performing fleet of commercial nuclear energy facilities.

DOE UPRISE: Existing-Fleet Nuclear Scorecard

America’s demand for electricity is growing faster than it has in decades, driven by advanced manufacturing, data centers and the needs of a growing economy. Nuclear energy already supplies about one-fifth of the nation’s electricity, reliably and around the clock. The fastest, most affordable way to add more is to get more from the nuclear plants and sites we already have.

UPRISE, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort, brings together DOE programs, national laboratories, utilities, regulators and industry to expand nuclear capacity in the near term by:

Increasing the output of operating reactors
Restarting recently closed plants
Extending plant operating lives
Completing stalled projects
Preparing existing sites for new nuclear construction

The initiative supports national goals of adding at least 5 gigawatts of new capacity from the existing fleet by 2030 and establishing a path to deliver 400 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2050.

UPRISE of Nuclear Energy for Power Demand Growth

When: October 29th, 2026 (Past Event)
Where: The Downtown Event Center – Idaho Falls, ID

Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort

Growing demand from data centers and industrial development is creating new opportunities to expand nuclear energy capacity. UPRISE brings industry and federal leaders together to discuss how existing and new nuclear power plants can help meet that demand.

Participants will discuss plans to increase capacity through plant uprates and new reactors, federal plans supporting near-term nuclear energy deployment, policy considerations, and coordination among utilities, industry and government.

Session	Session Lead
Welcome and Practical Outcomes Nuclear Executive Orders	Chris Bunting, DOE-NE Bruce Hallbert, LWRS Program Director
UPRISE briefing roadmap and the Speed‐Bridge‐Scale horizon	Jack Cadogan, INL Program Advisor
Utility Company Perspectives (Panel)	Bradley Adams, CXWG Chair
Data Center Perspectives (Panel)	Paul Talbot, INL
Federal Perspectives (Panel)	Chris Bunting, DOE-NE
Supply chain, power equipment & workforce challenges (Panel)	Will Jenson, INL
Financial Perspectives: DOE Office of Energy Dominance Financing	Grant Mills, EDF
Financial Perspectives: ITC/PTC Financial Incentives and Integrated Planning	Luke Martin, ScottMadden Management Consultants
CXWG 2027 Expanding Industry Collaboration to Deliver Nuclear Capacity	Bradley Adams, CXWG Chair