Social, commercial and political forces are combining to promote the use of carbon-free energy such as nuclear with more than 200 bills at various stages of process across the US – a number that barely rose above single digits in recent years, Maria Korsnick, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) said.

In her annual State of the Nuclear Energy Industry address at the Nuclear Energy Assembly in Washington Korsnick said based on this optimistic future for the nuclear industry in the US, private sources invested more than $5bn (€4.5bn) into advanced nuclear companies last year.

“With all of the policy signals, demand, and milestones, it’s no surprise that capital is flocking to nuclear,” she said. “This capital is shifting, in part, because nuclear technology promises to decarbonise entire economies.”