Third Friday Professional Development Webinar – February 2021

The Role of Nuclear Energy in our Future Energy System

Speaker: John Kotek

John Kotek is Vice President for Policy Development and Public Affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute. Prior to joining NEI in 2017, he worked for the U.S. Department of Energy, where he was nominated by President Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. From 2010-2012, John served as Staff Director to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which recommended a new strategy for managing nuclear waste in the United States.  In 2002, John was the American Nuclear Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Fellow, serving in the Office of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). John began his career with the U.S. Department of Energy in 1989, and from 1999 to 2003 was a nuclear energy R&D program manager at Argonne National Laboratory. He holds a BS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

John will discuss developments in energy policy and nuclear energy technology. He’ll explain how nuclear energy fits into the decarbonization plans of U.S. utilities; will provide an overview of the types and status of next-generation reactors; will discuss ongoing efforts to demonstrate commercial-scale production of hydrogen and opportunities for nuclear as a source of industrial heat; and will explore the business and policy drivers that are raising interest in next-generation nuclear energy systems.