For the past year, former SpaceX engineer Ben Kellie has been building a nuclear power company that will provide cleaner and safer energy at a smaller scale to large, industrial users like petrochemical refineries and artificial intelligence data centers.
Last week, Kellie came to New Orleans in search of the kind of deals and financing needed to grow his Los Angeles-based company, Applied Atomics, at the state’s first Nuclear Strategy and Supply Chain Summit.
Hosted by Louisiana Economic Development, the two-day event at the Windsor Court Hotel brought together more than 200 investors, energy executives, industrial contractors and federal regulators to network, mingle and discuss all aspects of a nuclear energy sector that many experts believe is on the cusp of a new era of explosive growth.
“It was impressive to have such a broad-based coalition of people interested in nuclear power in one room with a common goal,” said Kellie, whose company helped sponsor the event. “I think everybody is trying to figure out where this is going to go and how we build up over time.”…