The Nuclear Scaling Initiative (NSI) has received a $3.5 million philanthropic grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to accelerate the responsible deployment of nuclear energy in the United States. The funding will support NSI’s effort to establish an orderbook—a coordinated model that brings multiple buyers together to commit to building the same proven reactor design—facilitating repeatable, standardized large reactor projects. By promoting safety, security, and nonproliferation, NSI aims to reduce risk, lower costs, and provide greater certainty for developers, suppliers, and public partners, addressing the challenges that have historically slowed nuclear energy expansion.
The orderbook model, inspired by successful practices in industries such as aviation and shipping, aggregates demand across projects, enabling economies of scale, shared learning, and long-term supplier commitments. With U.S. electricity demand projected to grow by at least 50% by 2050, this approach is designed to strengthen supply chains, grow a skilled workforce, and reduce cost overruns while ensuring reliable, clean, and firm power for the grid. The initiative also seeks to standardize nuclear construction, demonstrating that repeated, well-coordinated projects can achieve efficient, scalable, and affordable deployment.
NSI, a partnership of the Clean Air Task Force, EFI Foundation, and Nuclear Threat Initiative, aims to build a nuclear energy ecosystem capable of scaling over 50 gigawatts of safe nuclear power globally per year by the 2030s. Through this approach, the initiative seeks to advance climate goals, support economic development, expand energy access, and ensure peaceful use of nuclear technology, while the grant from the Bezos Earth Fund helps unlock broader public and private investment in the U.S. reactor orderbook.
