natty is king and don't call it a nuclear renaissance

the preferred term is - a "renewed love affair"

The Energy Imperatives Summit buzzed with urgency, as voices from industry, policy, and regulation tackled America’s energy future amid skyrocketing demand from data centers and manufacturing. One young policy worker noted a telling shift: budget lines once earmarked for wind and solar are now flowing to nuclear, hydro, and geothermal, signaling a pivot toward reliable, dispatchable power. Discussions underscored natural gas, nuclear innovation, and grid efficiency as keys to meeting this challenge, while highlighting policy hurdles that must be cleared to power the next generation of growth.

1. America’s Energy Future: Leading Through Reliable, Scalable Power

“For America to lead, we need to lead on energy.”

This call to action underscored the urgent need for sovereign, scalable, and dispatchable energy to power the nation’s future, from advanced manufacturing to sovereign compute infrastructure. Natural gas, nuclear, and geothermal are cornerstones of a reliable energy grid, yet policy bottlenecks and misguided priorities are holding progress back.

“Natural gas is the grid’s workhorse.”

Natural gas has doubled its generation share over the past two decades, delivering flexible, base-load power to meet rising needs. Regulatory delays and ESG commitments have slowed gas turbine production at firms like GE and Siemens, dismissed as “unscalable distractions.” Building infrastructure for 30 or 60 gigawatts depends on dismantling these barriers.

Renewables, though prominent, remain secondary. Wind power’s negative pricing in Texas, driven by Production Tax Credits, distorts markets, per EIA’s 2024 findings, flooding the grid when demand is low. The DOE’s $3.7 billion cuts to clean energy projects in May 2025, reported by POWER magazine, spared carbon capture for oil recovery due to bipartisan support, but experts urged prioritizing affordability over subsidies. Permitting reforms, aided by a Supreme Court ruling on a Utah rail spur, face persistent environmental litigation, demanding stronger action to unlock energy potential.

2. The Experts Don’t Want You to Call It a Nuclear Renaissance—They’ve Seen This Movie Before and Want It to End Differently

As we outlined in our report recently - nukes are gaining momentum, but this time experts are pushing for a measured approach to ensure lasting success - and due to PTSD, they do NOT want to call it a “renaissance.” Instead, they advocated a deliberate path, bolstered by the Advance Act—the most significant nuclear reform in 40 years—and an Executive Order pushing Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) modernization. A tax bill with PTC/ITC credits, under debate this week, further strengthens nuclear’s economic case.

Innovators are driving progress: Radiant Nuclear’s Kaleidos microreactor targets federal land for data center power, seeking regulatory changes like categorical exclusions for 5MW reactors, generalized licenses, and a permanent waste repository. Oklo reported 2.1 GW of demand from hyperscalers like Equinix, per their 2024 investor update, for Aurora reactors. Westinghouse’s AP1000, a proven design, relies on public-private investment to avoid cost overruns, while Constellation’s Three Mile Island Unit 1 restart for Microsoft showcases industry momentum. Ambitious goals include 10 new reactors by the administration’s end, but the focus is on “generational assets,” with calls for the NRC to prioritize approvals over delays.

3. Doing More with Less: Grid Efficiency Unleashed

“Much of our power system’s just napping!”

This vivid image captured the Summit’s push to optimize the grid, noting that data centers stress capacity only 50–100 hours daily, like “flights flying half full.” Much of the grid’s potential lies dormant, and experts urged smarter strategies to tap it. Proposals included FERC endorsing PJM’s five new service tiers for flexible loads, contrasting PJM’s slow capacity growth with ERCOT’s 50 GW renewable additions, per EIA data. Open interconnection queues were pitched to ease generator access, alongside performance bonds to prevent overbuild.

Gas turbines, with 60 units produced annually by leaders like GE Vernova (down from 100), face 2028 order books due to supply constraints. Calls for IRA credits aim to keep gas affordable, though regulatory lag persists. In Colorado, regulators plan to triple the rate base with cost-based tariffs, prepping land for 150–200 peak hours via competitive RFPs that prioritize ready projects. State control over loads, bypassing FERC, was emphasized, alongside new tariffs to manage onsite generation, as seen in Constellation’s data center deals. The goal? Maximize existing capacity to meet demand without overbuilding.

Building Tomorrow’s Grid Today

Ultimately, the day painted a picture of opportunity constrained by choice. America’s geological abundance and technological prowess are not the bottlenecks—our policies and priorities are.

From streamlining permitting to modernizing the NRC and crafting flexible tariffs, the path to a reliable, efficient energy future is clear. As data centers and industries scale, the Summit’s insights urge decisive action: prioritize scalable power, unlock regulatory bottlenecks, and do more with less. America’s leadership depends on a grid that powers progress, starting now.