Richard Gaut

The symposium brings together national laboratory researchers, university partners, industry professionals, and Department of Energy leadership to examine energy technology economic evaluation from early-stage feasibility through investment-ready financial models. Topics include techno-economic analysis fundamentals, tax-credit modeling, DOE perspectives on energy investment decisions, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, cost escalation, discounted cash-flow modeling, energy-market trend resources, critical-materials techno-economic analysis, proposal scope development, AI for techno-economic analysis, utility investment decision-making, analytical tools, and digital twins. The program includes nuclear cost estimation and economic modeling; critical materials and supply-chain economics; analytical frameworks, AI, and decision support; scaling, financing, and deploying nuclear; fuels, chemicals, and feedstock economics; and energy storage, thermal systems, and grid planning. Named sessions include “The Role of Decision Sciences for Energy Investment,” “Economics and Nuclear Energy,” “Techno-Economic Analysis of Nd-Rich Mischmetal Recovery from Idaho Soil,” “Sustainable Recovery of Critical Metals from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries Through Gluconic Acid-Based Bioleaching,” “Diversifying low-purity Ga Production Beyond China,” “Autonomous Design Optimization for Nuclear Energy,” “Pathways to Massively Scaling Nuclear Deployment in the United States,” and “Outlook for Nuclear Energy 2026.”