Nuclear Power Fundamentals

This 1.5-day course provides a foundational understanding of nuclear energy, from the physics of fission and the history of nuclear power in the U.S. and around the world to where the industry is heading next. Nuclear Power Fundamentals examines the major events that shaped nuclear power’s role in the energy mix, why nuclear’s capacity factor, land footprint, and operating lifetime set it apart from other sources, and what those lessons mean for owners and leaders today.

We will walk through PWR and BWR plant designs, major components, and the safety systems that protect the core, then examine how Browns Ferry, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Davis-Besse reshaped the industry and led to INPO and modern self-assessment. You’ll see how today’s fleet performs, how licenses are extended to 80 years, and the status of restarts at Palisades, Crane Clean Energy Center (former TMI-1), Duane Arnold, and V.C. Summer 2 & 3. The program also surveys the global fleet, the leading nuclear nations, and the reactors under construction worldwide.

Day Two follows the fuel from mine to repository, covering enrichment, LEU and HALEU, spent fuel storage, and radioactive waste, along with radiation basics, ALARA, dose limits, and physical and cyber security. We’ll assess the lessons of Vogtle Units 3 & 4 for the next wave of large reactors, including the AP1000, and provide an up-to-date review of small modular and advanced reactors: technology types, fuel needs, U.S. project deep dives, the new 10 CFR Part 53 licensing framework, and the economics still to be proven.

The course concludes with a look at the next decade: data-center demand, DOE funding and fuel programs, the state of fusion technology, and the gap between the announced new-build order book and actual construction, along with the open questions facing owners and leaders.

• Explain how fission reactions produce energy and how reactor physics, reactivity controls, and defense-in-depth principles support safe nuclear plant operations
• Trace the major milestones that shaped commercial nuclear power
• Differentiate the primary systems, operating characteristics, and safety functions of pressurized water and boiling water reactor designs
• Evaluate how significant industry events influenced modern nuclear safety practices, oversight programs, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Assess the performance, economics, life-extension strategies, and global trends that define the current nuclear generation fleet
• Follow the progression of nuclear fuel
• Interpret key radiation protection concepts, regulatory requirements, dose management practices, and security expectations for nuclear facilities
• Analyze the construction experience of Vogtle Units 3 and 4 and identify considerations for future large-reactor deployment
• Compare emerging reactor technologies, licensing pathways, fuel requirements, and deployment challenges associated with SMRs and advanced reactors
• Examine the market, regulatory, technology, and fuel-supply factors expected to influence nuclear energy development over the coming decade