Article

The U.S. nuclear industry, despite ambitions to expand capacity by 400 GW by 2050, faces significant challenges including aging infrastructure and regulatory delays. The Palisades plant in Michigan, set to restart, has discovered thousands of brittle pipes, complicating its revival.

Holtec International, the plant's owner, struggles to provide necessary documentation for the restart, while the NRC lacks resources for inspections. Additionally, small modular reactor (SMR) startups like Oklo face setbacks, with Oklo's initial plant proposal rejected due to insufficient details.