How to make Nuclear Innovative: Lessons from other advanced industries

An invitation to EPIA Members and friends to a late-afternoon Executive Briefing on

HOW TO MAKE NUCLEAR INNOVATIVE: LESSONS FROM OTHER ADVANCED INDUSTRIES

Speaker: Jessica Lovering, Energy Director, Breakthrough Institute, California, USA

Date and Time: Tuesday 30 May 2017 at 4pm until 5.30 pm followed by refreshments

Venue: Piper Alderman, Level 23 Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place, Sydney

Registration fee: $25.00. The number of attendees will be limited to 50.

This briefing is part of a series of EPIA briefings on topical issues with an important bearing on the development of future energy policy in Australia.

Ms Lovering will describe how the US energy industry and the nuclear industry will need to be more innovative. She will explain that:

• The next generation of nuclear plants holds promise to be cheaper, safer, more flexible, and faster to build than the current fleet.
• To meet the needs of deregulated markets in developed countries, and to outcompete cheap fossil fuels in the developing world, the nuclear industry will need to innovate.
• Innovation will require far-reaching changes to the nuclear industry itself, and to the public institutions, policies, and regulations designed to support it.
• It will more specifically require tilting the playing field away from large, incumbent nuclear firms and toward smaller, more entrepreneurial start-ups.
• With its growing ecosystem of advanced nuclear companies, world-leading nuclear engineering programs and national laboratories, and extensive venture capital networks, the US is positioned to lead the shift.

Ms Lovering will speak for 30 minutes after which there will an interactive discussion amongst all attendees including representatives of the Australian Nuclear Association.

Jessica Lovering is the director of the energy program at the Breakthrough Institute, a pioneering research institute changing how people think about energy and the environment, where she explores how policies can jumpstart innovation to create the disruptive technologies needed to mitigate climate change and increase modern energy access. Jessica has a BA and MS in Astrophysics and an MS in Environmental Policy.

Ms Lovering’s visit to Australia has been sponsored by the Minerals Council of Australia.

Please note: There will be no refunds but substitutes will be welcome.