Nuclear Energy Institute briefs Economic Matters Committee on reactor expansion, safety and timelines

Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, told the Maryland Economic Matters Committee on an unspecified date that the United States operates 94 commercial reactors at 54 sites across 28 states and that nuclear supplies roughly 19 percent of U.S. electricity generation.

Korsnick emphasized nuclear’s reliability and long operational life, saying that “the nuclear fleet in The United States has greater than a 90% capacity factor” and arguing that advanced reactors — including small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors — can play new roles on the grid and in industry.

Committee members pressed Korsnick on safety, security, waste and timelines. Korsnick described federal policy tools that she said are helping the industry de-risk initial projects, and repeated that current plants are subject to close regulatory oversight and additional safety measures taken after Fukushima.

Why it matters: Committee members framed the briefing as part of Maryland’s review of future generation options and siting questions for data centers, industrial customers and potential reuse of retiring fossil sites. Korsnick’s presentation linked new reactor designs to job creation, possible industrial steam uses and potential partnerships with hyperscalers that are seeking large, reliable blocks of clean electricity.

What Korsnick told the…