The US needs to maintain its existing nuclear fleet with large-scale light-water reactors at the forefront of its carbon-free transition, but also needs to build advanced reactors and solve the impasse over what to do with spent nuclear fuel, Kathryn Huff, the Department of Energy’s new assistant secretary for nuclear energy, said.

In a Q&A on the DOE’s website, Ms Huff said the continued operation of the country’s 93 commercial reactors and emerging advances in nuclear energy technology will not be sustainable unless sufficient attention is paid to “spent nuclear fuel challenges” and to ensuring the government is making progress on its commitments to manage it responsibly.