President Barack Obama signed Omnibus Appropriations Act, which funds small modular reactors and the development of new advanced reactors. Under an appropriation act, the nuclear energy programs are to receive $960 million.
On Dec. 18 the US president signed the 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Act, after it had been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The appropriations act includes funding for virtually the entire federal government to the end of the fiscal year in 30 September 2016 - an estimated $1.15 trillion in total.
The legislation will provide $141 million for reactor concepts research and development, plus $230 million for fuel cycle research and development. Meanwhile, the US program is also to license small reactors through $62.million funding. This is in line with the recent White House Summit on Nuclear Energy and the international agreement resulting from the UN climate conference that was held in Paris.
Senior vice president for government affairs at US nuclear industry body the Nuclear Energy Institute, Alex Flint, welcomed the increase funding for new reactors. Flint said,
"The recognition that advanced and small reactors hold great promise as a future source of low-carbon electricity and as an export technology that can create many thousands of U.S. jobs is very positive. It is a smart investment in a low-carbon and a secure energy future for our nation,"
19 percent of total US electricity supplies is generated by nuclear energy facilities operating in 30 states in the country. This generates 63 percent of the electricity that comes from zero-carbon sources.
The final funding deal contains a number of important nuclear energy priorities including: predictability for second license renewal permitting nuclear plants to continue to operate for up to 80 years; rejection of a proposed tax that would have imposed a $200 million/year fee on nuclear rate payers; a lower U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission budget to better reflect the agency's workload and responsibility to implement efficiency and reforms that increase transparency and accountability.
