Nuclear power has emerged as a focal point of renewed interest in the quest for sustainable energy solutions in the United States. Historically scrutinized over safety concerns, nuclear energy could contribute to the transition away from fossil fuels. Grace Stanke, crowned Miss America 2023, has studied to become a nuclear engineer and advocates for the energy source.
“I think more and more people are seeing that as America continues to transition to zero-carbon energy,” Stanke said. “Nuclear is necessary to provide that base load source of power, that always on, always accessible, always reliable energy, and politicians are starting to see that too. It just might be a little bit slower than the general public.”
Recently, the cancellation of a NuScale Power project raised questions about the future of the advanced nuclear energy industry. It was set to be the first small modular nuclear reactor power plant in the U.S.
“Right now within the nuclear industry, we’ve got all of this exciting innovation with companies like NuScale, and so many others that are developing this high-level technology that truly has solved so many of nucleus problems,” Stanke said. “However, what we’re seeing is a struggle with supply chain catching up to what might be demand, but demand doesn’t want to show up until the supply chain is available either.”
