Oak Ridge
The Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, home to the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and ongoing DOE environmental cleanup.
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Tennessee forgoes sales tax sales on nuclear projects
Tennessee lawmakers recently modified certain tax laws related to nuclear facilities, including Orano USA’s multi-billion dollar uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge. In Senate Bill 885/House Bill 1133, sponsored by state senator Shane Reeves (R) and state representative Clark Boyd (R), expanded the definition of “certified green energy production facility” to include nuclear energy […]
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National Laboratories
ORNL, Atomic Canyon work on AI to streamline nuclear licensing
The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and a privately-held artificial intelligence company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week to use AI to streamline licensing for new nuclear projects. The agreement was signed with California-based Atomic Canyon at the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop held in Knoxville, Tenn. July 22-23. The MOU […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
DOE selects four complex sites for AI data center deployment
The Department of Energy has picked four nuclear complex sites to be used for deployment of new artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. DOE announced the Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Kentucky and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina will host the AI data centers, according […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
DOE selects four nuclear complex sites for AI data center deployment
The Department of Energy has picked four nuclear complex sites to be used for deployment of new artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. DOE announced the Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Kentucky and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina will host the AI data centers, according […]
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Budget & Policy
House Appropriations bill trimming EM to $7.7 B moves to full House
The House Appropriations Committee Thursday night passed the Energy & Water Development Appropriations bill for fiscal 2026, which trims the budget of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management to $7.7 billion, down from more than $8.4 billion in the current fiscal year. The measure passed 35-27 in the House committee and now moves […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Enviro groups sue DOE, EPA over Oak Ridge landfill
Six environmental groups have sued the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over approval of a new low-level radioactive waste landfill at DOE’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to a press release from the groups. The case has […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Kairos Power installs reactor vessel at Oak Ridge
Kairos Power has installed the reactor vessel for its third Engineering Test Unit at its campus in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the company announced on Tuesday. The third Engineering Test Unit vessel, which is 14-foot-tall, marks a construction milestone for its non-nuclear reactor mockup, Kairos said in its Tuesday press release. The third Engineering building is […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Enviro groups sue DOE, EPA over Oak Ridge landfill
Six environmental groups have sued the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over approval of a new low-level radioactive waste landfill at DOE’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to a press release from the groups. The plaintiffs are […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Hanford office trailers come down; K-25 soil cleanup complete; Spent fuel moved at INL
Sixteen single-wide office trailers in the 100-K area of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site at Richland, Wash., have been torn down, DOE said Tuesday. Hundreds of engineers and other staff at the former plutonium production complex near the Columbia River have worked at the office trailer complex since 2000, DOE said in a Tuesday […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Hanford to develop ‘super cell’; DOE extends HALEU contract with Centrus; WCS cites rail shipments; Rick Perry to Nano board; more
Centrus Energy, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., has been awarded an extended contract with the Department of Energy, worth about $110 million, to produce high-assay low-enriched uranium through June 30, 2026. In 2022, Centrus was awarded a three-phase follow-on contract to bring the cascade into production and produce HALEU for DOE’s use. DOE has exercised its […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Triso-X targeting December 2027 for startup of Oak Ridge plant
SAVANNAH, GA. — Triso-X is targeting Dec. 6, 2027, for production of its first “pebble” of fabricated nuclear fuel at its facility located on land formerly owned by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, a company executive told a conference here Thursday. The 215,000-square-foot fuel fabrication facility, called TX-1, will employ about […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Triso-X targeting December 2027 for startup of Oak Ridge plant
SAVANNAH, GA. — Triso-X is targeting Dec. 6, 2027, for production of its first “pebble” of fabricated nuclear fuel at its facility located on land formerly owned by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, a company executive told a conference here Thursday. The 215,000-square-foot fuel fabrication facility, called TX-1, will employ about […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Round Up: Orano USA opens Project IKE office; Westinghouse reactor green lit for safety report; Lightbridge completes irradiation experiment review; more;
Orano USA has announced this week the opening of its Project IKE office building in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The new office will employ 40 people and will be located nearly 10 miles away from the Project IKE site. The office employees will be additional to the 300-workforce expected to be at Orano’s uranium enrichment facility, […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Elementl, Oak Ridge partnership seeks to accelerate nuclear siting
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and Elementl Power have partnered up to work on a data-driven siting approach for advanced nuclear projects. Through its partnership, the Washington D.C. based nuclear company has leveraged the Oak Ride Siting Analysis for Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool to help the company evaluate potential sites for advanced nuclear and […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Elementl, Oak Ridge partnership seeks to accelerate nuclear siting
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and Elementl Power have partnered up to work on a data-driven siting approach for advanced nuclear projects. Through its partnership, the Washington D.C. based nuclear company has leveraged the Oak Ride Siting Analysis for Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool to help the company evaluate potential sites for advanced nuclear and […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
TVA submits its Clinch River SMR construction permit application
The Tennessee Valley Authority has submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor at its Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Preliminary SMR site preparation could potentially start as early as 2026, TVA said in its Tuesday press release. “This is a […]
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Reindustrialization & Redevelopment
DOE provides another tract for Oak Ridge area reindustrialization
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has transferred 32 more acres of remediated land to local authorities from DOE’s Oak Ridge Site. The 32-acre land transfer to the Industrial Development Board of Oak Ridge from the Oak Ridge’s former Gaseous Diffusion Plant complex was announced Tuesday by the Environmental Management office. It brings […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
TVA submits its Clinch River SMR construction permit application
The Tennessee Valley Authority has submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor at its Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Preliminary SMR site preparation could potentially start as early as 2026, TVA said in its Tuesday press release. “This is a […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Round Up: OPG green-lit to build Canadian SMR; DOE to cap research funding; DOE noms clear Senate panel; Amentum opens Oak Ridge nuke center;
On Thursday, Ontario Power Generation received approval from the Province of Ontario to build its first small modular reactor at the Darlington New Nuclear Site in Clarington, Ontario. With a target date of 2030 for operation, OPG will build its first BWRX-300 SMR at the Darlington site. The company intends to build a fleet of […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
UCOR fills basement of Y-12 Beta-1 facility with concrete-like material
The Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee has deactivated the above-ground floors of a contaminated building at the Y-12 National Security Complex and is filling up the basement at the facility, DOE said last week. The DOE Office of Environmental Management contractor, United Cleanup Oak Ridge, is pouring more […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
AtkinsRealis adds trio of managers to U.S. operations
AtkinsRealis US Nuclear has added three industry veterans —Chris Kirchoff, Thomas Roddey, and Kirk Brower—to its business development management team, the company said recently. Kirchoff has been appointed vice president of business development and chief growth officer for the AtkinsRealis affiliate based in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He has more than 35 years of experience working […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
UCOR fills basement of Y-12 Beta-1 facility with concrete-like material
The Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee has deactivated the above-ground floors of a contaminated building at the Y-12 National Security Complex and is filling up the basement at the facility, DOE said last week. The DOE Office of Environmental Management contractor, United Cleanup Oak Ridge, is pouring more […]
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Budget & Policy
Fleischmann emphasizes need for nuclear in U.S. energy future
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) called for more investment in new nuclear power to address the United States and global demand for electricity, in an April 28 opinion piece posted in the Washington Times. “We are at a pivotal moment in energy production that will define our nation and the world for the remainder of […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Round Up: DOE awards contract for Oak Ridge support; U.S. and Poland collaborate on nuclear plant; Louisiana SMR bill; more
The Department of Energy has awarded a contract up to $74.8 million to a women-owned small business in Richland, Wash. to provide professional support services at the DOE’s Oak Ridge, Tenn. nuclear environmental cleanup site. The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) announced the contract with the company, Independent Strategic Management Solutions, Inc. (ISMSolutions), in […]
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Budget & Policy
Many familiar faces exit DOE nuclear complex during Trump 2.0
During the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term he has moved aggressively to reduce the federal workforce and the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons complex has not been immune. Trump’s second term, which started Jan. 20, hit the 100-day mark this week on April 30. A document shared with Exchange Monitor in […]
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Contracts & Procurement
DOE awards a $74.8 million contract for Oak Ridge support services
The Department of Energy has awarded a contract up to $74.8 million to a women-owned small business in Richland, Wash. to provide professional support services at the DOE’s Oak Ridge, Tenn. nuclear environmental cleanup site. The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) announced the contract with the company, Independent Strategic Management Solutions, Inc. (ISMSolutions), in […]
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Contracts & Procurement
DOE awards a $74.8 million contract for Oak Ridge support services
The Department of Energy has awarded a contract up to $74.8 million to a women-owned small business in Richland, Wash. to provide professional support services at the DOE’s Oak Ridge, Tenn. nuclear environmental cleanup site. The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) announced the contract with the company, Independent Strategic Management Solutions, Inc. (ISMSolutions), in […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
TVA intends to submit SMR construction permit for Clinch River site
The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to submit a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a small modular reactor at the Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. by June 2025. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in an April 17 letter of notification of intent. TVA […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
TVA intends to submit SMR construction permit for Clinch River site
The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to submit a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a small modular reactor at the Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. by June 2025. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in an April 17 letter of notification of intent. TVA […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Oak Ridge cleanup groups removes over 50-year old legacy waste
A collective of Oak Ridge groups recently disposed of highly radioactive waste that had been kept at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for more than 50 years, as announced in an April 15 press release. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge processed and shipped highly radioactive source, […]








