The US must work to standardise across the nuclear industry and end a fragmented approach to delivery if it is to lower financial and project risks for reactor projects, according to a paper by Boston-based thinktank Clean Air Task Force (CATF).

CATF said that recent announcements such as the US Department of Energy’s $17.5bn (€15.3bn) loan commitment to develop up to 10 Westinghouse AP1000 reactors reflected a growing recognition that nuclear deployment required orderbooks and repeat construction programmes.The report said that when developers, utilities and governments commit to multiple reactor builds a demand pipeline is created, suppliers could invest and costs came down.

“Unfortunately, the current US nuclear landscape remains highly fragmented. Multiple developers are pursuing different technologies, utilities are approaching projects independently, and procurement strategies remain largely uncoordinated,” said Lindsey Popken, author of the paper.