September 20, 2013 – The U.S. Department of Energy today announced today more than $60 million in nuclear energy research awards and improvements to university research reactors and infrastructure. The 91 awards aim to help train and educate the next generation of nuclear industry leaders, as well as support new and advanced nuclear technologies, from reactor materials and instrumentation to more efficient manufacturing.

“By supporting cutting-edge nuclear science and engineering across our universities, national labs and industry, we can strengthen the foundation for a continuing important role for nuclear energy in America’s low-carbon future,” said Ernest Moniz, energy secretary.

According to industry estimates, the U.S. electric power industry will have to replace nearly 100,000 workers—more than 25,000 of them in the nuclear industry—by 2015. In the next few years, about 30% of nuclear energy industry workers—many of whom joined the field in the 1960s and 1970s—will be eligible for retirement. Since 2009, DoE says its Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) have awarded about $290 million to nearly 90 colleges and universities to train the next generation of nuclear engineers and scientists.