Laura Holgate on the Promise and Perils of Nuclear Innovation

The Trump administration has prioritized nuclear energy expansion, aiming to increase US nuclear capacity fourfold by 2050. This nuclear energy resurgence in the US is a rare issue with bipartisan support, and tech companies have poured billions of dollars into sustaining nuclear power plants and building new reactors to supply AI data centers.

But accelerating nuclear power could mean changing environmental and safety reviews. And small modular reactors and other innovations in nuclear energy are likely years from commercial readiness.

So is there a way to reinvigorate nuclear energy in the US that's safe and fast? What would that mean for the power sector and the communities that support plants today, and future sites? Are there any signs that new technologies could address the perennial questions around nuclear safety? And what does all of this mean for national security and energy policy?

Today on the show, Bill Loveless speaks with Laura S. H. Holgate, Ambassador (ret.) about the state of nuclear energy innovation, safety, and governance.

Laura is the president of LSHH International Advisors and a distinguished visiting fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy. She twice served as ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency. She has held multiple positions in and out of government, including vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, special assistant to the president at the White House National Security Council, and a senior official at the departments of Energy and Defense.

Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.