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As Arizona rises to meet the challenges of a new era of energy demand, driven by the emergence of artificial intelligence and data centers, advanced nuclear reactors promise to provide the clean, reliable, and abundant energy we need to meet new demands around the clock.

Some critics, however, argue that these new reactors should be opposed because they do not operate like fast-ramping natural gas plants, claiming their operating characteristics are too inflexible to respond rapidly to sudden changes in demand. But these arguments misunderstand both the nature of the problem and the reality of modern reactor designs.

What we are experiencing with increased demand is not a peak-demand problem. It is a baseload problem, representing a need to increase the amount of permanent, structural, baseline power generated around the clock. A single large data center, for example, can require anywhere from 50 to 150 megawatts of continuous power, while hyperscale campuses can require several hundred megawatts, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This requires a massive expansion of reliable, always-on energy that runs continuously while retaining the ability to adjust output when needed. Nuclear plants operate at capacity factors typically above 90% and can be called on at any time to meet demand, which is exactly why new nuclear is the ideal resource for this moment. Arizona鈥檚 Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, for example, operated at a 100% capacity factor through record-setting heat in 2025, ensuring power was available around the clock without interruption when it was needed most.

Intermittent energy resources like wind and solar, on the other hand, operate at only 20% to 40% capacity factor. Because they are not dispatchable and rely entirely on weather to generate electricity, operators must build three to four times the nameplate capacity needed to meet actual demand. And even with that buildout, renewables still cannot be relied on 24/7 to deliver power when needed.

In addition to baseload power, the next generation of reactors is also being designed to offer increased load-following capabilities and operational flexibility, allowing them to respond dynamically to changes in demand and representing a fundamental shift in the way nuclear reactors operate.

The measure of a generator鈥檚 technical maneuverability is whether it can make planned or instructed changes in output quickly, across a wide range, and reliably over time. Open-cycle natural gas plants are typically the benchmark for flexibility, with ramp rates of roughly 8% to 12% per minute, while large thermal units like traditional light-water reactors can typically ramp at only around 1% to 5% per minute.

The challenge with traditional light-water reactors is that they were not designed to ramp up and down quickly, and they face physical limitations that make rapid ramping unsafe or impossible. These reactors are large, high-mass systems with significant thermal inertia, which resists rapid temperature changes and creates risks of material stress and long-term damage. As a result, power adjustments must be gradual.

But this is where the technology is evolving. Unlike traditional reactor designs, many advanced reactors are being engineered specifically for increased flexibility. Smaller cores reduce thermal inertia. Alternative coolants and fuel forms increase operational dexterity. And modern designs incorporate entirely new approaches to delivering power.

TerraPower鈥檚 Natrium reactor, backed by Bill Gates, NVIDIA, and the U.S. Department of Energy, for example, is a 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor that uses integrated molten salt thermal energy storage to decouple reactor output from electricity generation, allowing stored heat to be dispatched on demand at capacity factors above 90% with ramp rates around 10% to 12% per minute.

Westinghouse鈥檚 eVinci microreactor, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a 5 MW heat-pipe-cooled microreactor that uses passive heat transfer and direct power conversion to deliver near-instantaneous load-following capability at the electrical interface, achieving capacity factors in the 90% range with effectively immediate ramping response.

General Atomics鈥� EM虏 reactor is a 265 MW helium-cooled fast reactor concept that uses a direct Brayton cycle and advanced fuel design to enable rapid within-core maneuverability, achieving capacity factors in the 90% range with projected ramp rates of up to 20% per minute.

Although the grid does not need every resource to behave like a natural gas plant, these new advanced reactors can offer something no previous energy source has: high-capacity-factor baseload power with the flexibility of fast-ramping, load-following plants. And with multi-module configurations allowing units to be stacked to meet larger industrial loads, operators can achieve even greater flexibility by adjusting output in stepwise increments, bringing individual reactors online or offline at different times to follow load dynamically without compromising reliability or efficiency. These are benefits that no weather-dependent renewable energy resource can provide.

Arizona stands at a crossroads. The surge in electricity demand is no longer theoretical. It is happening now. Data centers, advanced manufacturing, and population growth are placing new and sustained pressure on our grid.

Meeting that demand will require reliable, abundant, and responsive energy resources that can provide the baseload power our economy demands, the flexibility our grid requires, and the reliability our future depends on. Advanced nuclear reactors can deliver on all three.

Now is the time to move forward and support the advanced nuclear reactors Arizona needs to lead.

Michael Carbone is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing Legislative District 25 and serves as House Majority Leader. Follow him on X at @MichaelCarbone. Matt Gress is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 4 in Phoenix and is Chairman of the House Committee on Education. Follow him on X at @MatthewGress.