"DOE expects to make up to $30 million or more available in FY [fiscal year] 2018 awards, subject to the availability of funding," Perry said. "Additional funding will be available in future years, as allocated by Congress."
Perry added that the funding will help ensure that the nation benefits from a clean, resilient source of nuclear electric generation.
In 2016, 99 operating nuclear power plants produced about 20 percent of the electricity in the United States.
Four new nuclear power plants are expected to come on line by 2021 following a 30-year period in which no new construction permits were issued, primarily due to safety concerns, according to the World Nuclear Association.