Office of Nuclear Energy

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 […]

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-to-3 Wednesday that the state of Texas and Fasken Land and Minerals are not eligible to seek legal review of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license issued to Interim Storage Partners for a private spent fuel facility in West Texas. “Because Texas and Fasken were not parties to the Commission’s licensing […]

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 […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy announced on June 5 that it has awarded vouchers to three nuclear companies from its Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program to research nuclear fuel and materials. The DOE’s GAIN vouchers allow for companies to use research facilities and expertise through DOE’s national laboratories to […]

SAVANNAH, GA — Here are a few takeaways from this week’s 19th Radwaste Summit held here this week. The mood conveyed by most speakers and many attendees was generally upbeat. There seems to be news of a proposed new small modular reactor or revival of a mothballed nuclear plant, such as Palisades in Michigan, every […]

SAVANNAH, GA – The Supreme Court will probably rule by July 3 on whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authority to license privately-held interim storage facilities, a leading industry lawyer said during the 19th Radwaste Summit. That was the assessment offered Tuesday by Michael McBride, a partner with Van Ness Feldman during the opening day […]

SAVANNAH, GA.—With interest in nuclear energy the highest it has been in years, attaining public trust is vital to development of new reactors and waste disposal projects. That was a recurring theme here during Exchange Monitor’s 19th Radwaste Summit. Only a few years ago, state legislatures across the country would propose a handful of nuclear-related […]

SAVANNAH, GA.— Exchange Monitor’s 19th annual Radwaste Summit kicks off here Tuesday with discussions on expanding nuclear energy generation, a priority with the White House, while addressing spent fuel issues. This year’s conference starts at 2 p.m. Eastern Time with an introduction by senior nuclear safety consultant Larry Camper followed by a panel discussion on […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy announced on June 5 that it has awarded vouchers to three nuclear companies from its Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program to research nuclear fuel and materials. The DOE’s GAIN vouchers allow for companies to use research facilities and expertise through DOE’s national laboratories to […]

With an eye toward growing nuclear energy dominance by Russia and China, a senate bill aimed at boosting U.S. leadership in exporting and financing civilian nuclear technology headed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a hearingJune 5. If eventually passed,the Nuclear Energy Act would create a new office under the National Energy Dominance Council […]

A recently introduced bill in the House of Representatives would require the U.S. representatives at the World Bank to advocate for increased funding for civilian nuclear energy projects, and encourage the creation of a fund at the global development banks dedicated to financing such projects.   The International Nuclear Energy Financing Act of 2025, introduced in […]

As expected, President Donald Trump May 23 signed a set of executive orders designed to speed licensing of nuclear power reactors, both commercially and on federal installations, limit review by an independent nuclear regulator and beef up  the industry’s U.S. industrial base. Here is a thumbnail overview of each of the May 23 orders.  Overhauling […]

Despite recent executive orders to speed up nuclear deployment, the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy would see a sizable reduction under the White House’s fiscal 2026 budget request. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)  on May 30 released its 1,220 paged technical supplement to its budget request for fiscal 2026, […]

Opportunities for nuclear deployment are available, but the extent of the industry’s expansion remains to be seen, nuclear insiders said during a Columbia University webinar. Former deputy secretary of Joe Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) Dave Turk led a webinar on Tuesday on the Donald Trump administration’s May 23 nuclear industry-based executive orders. Turk was […]

Despite recent executive orders to speed up nuclear deployment, the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy would see a sizable reduction under the White House’s fiscal 2026 budget request. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)  on May 30 released its 1,220 paged technical supplement to its budget request for fiscal 2026, […]

As expected, President Donald Trump last week signed a set of executive orders designed to speed licensing of nuclear power reactors, both commercially and on federal installations, limit review by an independent nuclear regulator and beef up  the industry’s U.S. industrial base. Here is a thumbnail overview of each of the May 23 orders.  Overhauling […]

The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory has received a priority rating by the Department of Commerce to speed up the construction of the lab’s first two microreactor test beds. The National Reactor Innovation Center, led by INL, will operate the two microreactor test beds of the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) and Laboratory for […]

Oklo announced this week it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power to collaborate for future advanced nuclear projects.  Under the MOU, the two companies plan to explore opportunities to jointly progress the standard design development and verification of Oklo’s planned Aurora Powerhouse, according to Oklo’s Tuesday press release. […]

The Department of Energy could announce the first site for a data center to support artificial intelligence, which would be located on one of its federal installations, within 90 days, according to one of the nuclear executive orders Friday from President Donald Trump. Nuclear and non-nuclear support structures for such data centers on DOE installations […]

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 […]

Amid fears the United States is losing ground to rivals in world nuclear power markets, a group of Republicans and Democrats this week introduced the International Nuclear Energy Act. “If the U.S. doesn’t lead on nuclear energy development, Russia and China will,” Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said in a Tuesday press release. “This bill will […]

The Senate Tuesday voted 52-to-44 to confirm James Danly, a former member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to be deputy secretary of energy. The vote was along party lines with four senators, two Democrats and two Republicans, not voting. Danly, an attorney and U.S. Army veteran from Tennessee, was nominated to the position by […]

The Energy Communities Alliance has given its qualified support to a Department of Energy initiative to encourage development of data centers, used for artificial intelligence, on weapons complex installations. “ECA supports the AI infrastructure initiative and DOE’s commitment to engage with local public officials as a channel for DOE to create private sector deployment opportunities,” […]

WASHINGTON – Advanced nuclear reactor development will be driven by private funding with the help of federal money, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said this week.  Wright spoke before the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee on Wednesday about the Department of Energy’s budget request highlighted in the fiscal year 2026 “skinny” budget. The skinny […]

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) is urging House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) to retain tax credits for nuclear energy developments in the reconciliation bill. Federal tax incentives aimed to support investment in and operation of nuclear plants are important to a nuclear resurgence, Newhouse said in a letter sent on May […]

The Donald Trump administration released the fiscal 2026 budget proposal and topline discretionary funding request Friday, calling for a 13% increase in defense spending and a 22.6% decrease in non-defense spending. The request, obtained by the Exchange Monitor, said the Department of Defense would “re-establish deterrence” in coordination with Trump’s “peace through strength” agenda. The […]

Washington D.C. – President Donald Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of energy for nuclear energy said Wednesday if confirmed he intends to focus on deployment of advanced reactors and addressing waste storage. Nominee Thedore (Ted) Garrish, who previously served in the role in the late 1980s, said in his prepared statement to the Senate Energy […]

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 […]

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 […]

The Department of Energy and Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) announced late Tuesday they have agreed to a “targeted waiver” of certain aspects of a 1995 settlement agreement designed to expedite removal of old spent nuclear fuel from Idaho National Laboratory. The agreement, which was later modified in 2019, calls for removal of most spent […]