Archive

Advanced Nuclear & SMRs

Coverage of new reactor development, small modular reactors, and next-generation nuclear technologies pursuing NRC licensing or DOE demonstration support.

  • Westinghouse, Bechtel, Polish partner move forward on nuclear plant contract talks

    The consortium of Bechtel and Westinghouse and Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) have agreed on major commercial terms of the engineering procurement and construction contract to use Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor technology at Poland’s first nuclear plant.  PEJ handed over the leading role of the project to Bechtel in August. The companies’ have now set the foundation […]

  • Pentagon shows off new nuclear projects at energy expo

    The Pentagon began its energy expo this week, showcasing several advanced energy projects the military is developing. The Energy Sentry – Pentagon: DoD’s Energy Innovation Expo, that spans from Sept. 22 to 24, displays over 100 projects the Pentagon is deploying across the Army, Navy, Air Force and elsewhere. Among the many projects, advanced nuclear […]

  • Savannah River Site to resume uranium recovery in October

    Uranium recovery at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina will resume next month when the site’s H Canyon facility restarts head end operations, meaning it will begin the initial processing stage.  During an SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) meeting on Tuesday, the site’s DOE Office of Environmental Management executive Edwin Deshong […]

  • Kairos Power receives $100 million investment from Samsung C&T

    South Korea-based Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group (Samsung C&T) made a strategic investment of up to $100 million in Kairos Power, the companies said in a Monday press release. According to the release, the $100 million will be made up of a “direct investment and in-kind engineering services,” which will be subject to regulatory […]

  • TerraPower, Bechtel part ways on the Kemmerer Natrium project

    Bechtel and TerraPower have parted ways on the Natrium reactor project in Kemmerer, Wyo. after failing to come to an agreement on the next stages, according to public disclosure papers filed in Virginia. The news was included in a Sept. 15 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notification, in which Bechtel informed Fairfax County […]

  • Senate EPW to evaluate possible changes to the NWPA

    The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in a Wednesday hearing will take its turn to discuss recent developments in the United States efforts to close the back end of the fuel cycle. The hearing will be at 10 a.m. in Room 406 in the Senate Dirksen Office Building in Washington, D.C. This Senate committee […]

  • Virginia commission adds hearings on NextEra, Dominion merger

    The Virginia State Corporation Commission has added two new  in-person hearings in November to hear more from the public about NextEra Energy’s proposal to merge with Dominion Energy. The commission previously ordered a hearing to discuss the proposed $67 billion merger between the two utility holding companies on Nov. 5. However, it announced Sept. 9 […]

  • Op-ed urges NNSA-private sector fusion partnership

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) should use private-sector investment and technology to expand inertial confinement fusion capabilities for nuclear weapons research, according to a Washington Post op-ed published Sept. 17. Abigail Remler, an adviser to the Special Competitive Studies Project, and David Feith, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, argue that NNSA could […]

  • Round Up: New Mexico to prohibit new uranium mining; SMRs garner international interest, Grossi says; NRC unveils new website design

    The New Mexico State Land Office issued an executive order Sept. 4 that would ban any new uranium mining activities in the state. The order, issued by New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, pushes for the state agency to prioritize nuclear cleanup at legacy uranium sites, according to a press statement. It will also […]

  • Antares wins $161 million Pentagon award for nuclear spacecraft demonstration

    Torrance, Calif.-based Antares Nuclear was awarded $161 million by the U.S. Air Force last week to advance its nuclear reactor technology for space applications. The Air Force award to Antares represents the largest Department of Defense contract for space nuclear power so far, according to the company’s Sept. 11 press release.  Under the program, the […]

  • Deep Fission completes reactor canister borehole demonstration

    Berkeley, Calif.-based small modular reactor developer Deep Fission installed and retrieved its full-size prototype reactor canister from a borehole in Kansas, the company said Sept. 10. According to the company’s press release, Deep Fission’s workers lowered its 20-foot canister to 100 feet below ground in a 34-inch wide borehole and then brought it back up […]

  • Tennessee, TVA and UK seek to accelerate fusion deployment

    The state of Tennessee, the United Kingdom and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have agreed to work together on bringing commercial fusion energy online. According to the Monday announcement, the three entities will collaborate to work on fusion supply chain needs, workforce development and a regulatory pathway that could scale up the technology. This will […]

  • Centrus inks agreement to supply HALEU to Antares

    Centrus Energy and Antares Nuclear signed a multi-year agreement Thursday where Centrus will provide high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to Torrance, Calif.-based microreactor developer. In the span of two months, Centrus signed its third HALEU supply contract with an advanced reactor company with Radiant Nuclear last week and X-energy in August. Centrus said in a press […]

  • Tennessee, TVA and UK to work together to accelerate fusion deployment

    The state of Tennessee, the United Kingdom and the federally owned utility Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have agreed to work together on bringing commercial fusion energy online. According to the Monday announcement, the three entities will additionally collaborate to work on fusion supply chain needs, workforce development and a regulatory pathway that could scale the […]

  • Deep Fission completes reactor canister borehole demonstration in Kansas

    Berkeley, Calif.-based small modular reactor developer Deep Fission installed and retrieved its full-size prototype reactor canister from a borehole in Kansas, the company said Sept. 10. According to the company’s press release, Deep Fission’s workers lowered its 20-foot canister to 100 feet below ground in a 34-inch wide borehole and then brought it back up […]

  • House Energy panel plans to look at DOE’s Nuclear Lifecycle centers

    The House Energy and Commerce Committee’’s Energy subcommittee plans a Tuesday hearing on the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses that would co-locate fuel cycle activities with advanced nuclear energy projects.  Announced Sept. 8, the hearing, titled: “Nuclear Spent Fuel Policy: Examining Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses”, will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern […]

  • Round Up: Bluecore raises $50 million for maritime technology; NRC to review Dominion’s ESP renewal; NRC’s plans workshop on AI maturity

    Long Beach, Calif.-based maritime nuclear startup Bluecore Energy raised $50 million in seed funding this week. The seed round is the first official stage of fundraising from outside investors for a startup company. Bluecore, founded in 2025, said in its Tuesday press release that the recent funding comes at a time where the company is […]

  • Wrap Up: West Va. in mix for nuclear hub; DNFSB manager takes ethics job; BWXT plans Investor Day; more

    West Virginia has been selected as a finalist to host a nuclear campus under a high-profile Department of Energy program Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) announced in a Tuesday press conference. West Virginia is now the sixth state to be considered for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, joining Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah, which were […]

  • Groups seek NEPA review of plan to issue surplus plutonium to private companies

    The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]

  • ONE Nuclear moves ahead with SMR studies in Louisiana

    West Palm Beach, Fla.-based ONE Nuclear Energy said Tuesday it began the environmental evaluation process for its small modular reactor plans, Project Amberjack, in Louisiana. ONE Nuclear, a developer of natural gas and advanced nuclear technologies, said in its press release Project Amberjack would be a multi-unit SMR campus that could produce up to 1,000 […]

  • West Virginia becomes sixth state picked under DOE’s nuclear campus program

    West Virginia has been selected as a finalist to host a nuclear campus under a high-profile Department of Energy program Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) announced in a Tuesday press conference. West Virginia is now the sixth state to be considered for a nuclear lifecycle innovation campus, joining Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah, which were […]

  • Navy picks Naval Weapons Station Crane for first microreactor installation

    The U.S. Navy unveiled plans this week for a nuclear microreactor at the Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana, which will be the first base to use the technology. The microreactor installed at the naval base will be owned and operated by a private company and provide electricity inside the fence even through power outages, […]

  • Fuel reprocessing to play a role in advanced nuclear sector, panel says

    WASHINGTON – The advanced nuclear technology sector likes the idea of used fuel reprocessing, but is still trying to figure out the economics of it, a House Science, Space and Technology Committee panel heard last week.  Several nuclear industry specialists testified before the House Science’s Energy subcommittee about the direction of the domestic advanced reactor […]

  • Navy picks Naval Weapons Station Crane for first microreactor installation

    The U.S. Navy unveiled plans this week for a nuclear microreactor at the Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana, which will be the first base to use the technology. The microreactor installed at the naval base will be owned and operated by a private company and provide electricity inside the fence even through power outages, […]

  • ONE Nuclear moves ahead with SMR plans in Louisiana

    West Palm Beach, Fla.-based ONE Nuclear Energy said Tuesday it began the environmental evaluation process for its small modular reactor plans, Project Amberjack, in Louisiana. ONE Nuclear, a developer of natural gas and advanced nuclear technologies, said in its press release Project Amberjack would be a multi-unit SMR campus that could produce up to 1,000 […]

  • Holtec shoots for $10 billion-plus valuation in IPO announcement

    Holtec is gearing up for a multi-billion-dollar valuation, announcing the launch of the roadshow for its initial public offering (IPO) in an amended Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing Tuesday. After initially filing registration for an IPO in July, Holtec said in its press release it plans to offer 50 million shares at prices that […]

  • BWXT plans Investor Day this month

    Virginia-based BWX Technologies (BWXT), which is involved in everything from supporting Naval nuclear reactors, to nuclear power to weapons cleanup, will hold an Investor Day presentation Sept. 29 in New York City. The event, featuring presentations from BWXT President and CEO Rex Geveden and other top executives, is by invitation only. However, the webcast audio […]

  • Coming Up:

    Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  September: 9: Meeting (hybrid): Nevada Site-Specific Advisory Board meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at the Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89106.  15: Workshop: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission holds its annual data […]

  • NANO enters MOU with Enveniam to advance nuclear projects

    NANO Nuclear and Enveniam signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to potentially collaborate on building out a nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure and deploying NANO’s microreactor technology.  Enveniam, based in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is a project integration solutions company that works in various areas of the energy sector, including nuclear energy. New York-based NANO is an […]

  • Round Up: NRC issues two violations against Palisades; PJM drops Oklo’s advanced nuclear project; NRC proposes changes to groundwater standards and decommissioning timelines

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued two-low level violations against Holtec’s Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan for not complying with NRC requirements for radiation protection. In NRC’s inspection report published Monday, NRC said it found Palisades’ failed to manage the radioactive contamination parts of the plant and did not properly analyze the possible internal radiation […]