Advanced Nuclear & SMRs

Nuclear energy and advanced nuclear technologies should be a “critical part” of a net-zero energy economy, the secretary of energy said in Vienna this week at the U.N.’s big nuclear conference. “[T]oday, we see that transitioning to net-zero represents a great economic opportunity: a global clean energy market that will grow to at least 23 […]

Nuclear energy and advanced nuclear technologies should be a “critical part” of a net-zero energy economy, the secretary of energy said Monday in Vienna at the U.N.’s big nuclear conference. “[T]oday, we see that transitioning to net-zero represents a great economic opportunity: a global clean energy market that will grow to at least 23 trillion […]

The federal government needs to do more than just prop up existing nuclear reactors to achieve its climate goals, executives of a major nuclear non-profit and a labor union said in an op-ed this week. Though the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) both “welcome” the Joe Biden administration’s […]

Shortly after the House and Senate united to protect the Department of Energy’s inertial confinement fusion program from some proposed austerity next fiscal year, the program’s emblematic National Ignition Facility shattered its own record for neutron yield. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced the milestone this week, about a week after the Aug. 8 shot […]

Shortly after the House and Senate united to protect the Department of Energy’s inertial confinement fusion program from some proposed austerity next fiscal year, the program’s emblematic National Ignition Facility shattered its own record for neutron yield. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced the milestone Tuesday, about a week after the Aug. 8 shot in […]

Bethesda, Md.,-based Orano USA has a new management team and several new board of directors for its Federal Services Business unit that does business with the Department of Energy, the company said early Wednesday. Orano Federal Services President Dorothy Davidson said in a press release that the new management team will include: Joe Faldowskim, chief […]

Bethesda, Md.,-based Orano USA has a new management team and several new board of directors for its Federal Services Business unit that does business with the Department of Energy, the company said early Wednesday. Orano Federal Services President Dorothy Davidson said in a press release that the new management team will include: Joe Faldowskim, chief […]

Bethesda, Md.,-based Orano has a new management team and several new board of directors for its Federal Services Business unit that does business with the Department of Energy, the company said early Wednesday. Orano Federal Services President Dorothy Davidson said in a press release that the new management team will include: Joe Faldowskim, chief operations […]

An internal Department of Energy watchdog gave Consolidated Nuclear Security a public calling-out, but no other penalty, for letting an employee at the Pantex Plant in Texas work in radioactive areas for six months last year after the contractor realized the person had lost their dosimeter, according to a report published this week. The employee […]

An internal Department of Energy watchdog gave Consolidated Nuclear Security a public calling-out, but no other penalty, for letting an employee at the Pantex Plant in Texas work in radioactive areas for six months last year after the contractor realized the person had lost their dosimeter, according to a report published this week. The employee […]

The House Appropriations Committee’s proposed Department of Energy budget for fiscal year 2022 would slash funding for one of the potential disposal routes for surplus weapon-usable plutonium that has to be removed from South Carolina under terms of a record-setting legal settlement. The bill would deny $145 million in 2022 funding requested for the Versatile […]

Nearly a hundred advanced nuclear energy projects are getting cash from the federal government, with the bulk going toward nuclear waste research, the Department of Energy announced this week in the midst of budget season. Most of the $61 million DOE is awarding to advanced nuclear research programs, $58 million, will go to universities, the […]

Nearly a hundred advanced nuclear energy projects are getting cash from the federal government, with the bulk going toward nuclear waste research, the Department of Energy announced Tuesday in the midst of budget season. Most of the $61 million DOE is awarding to advanced nuclear research programs, $58 million, will go to universities, the agency […]

Two of the government’s top decision makers on nuclear energy again asked the nuclear energy industry for its help to get their goals for nuclear power across the finish line at a trade conference Monday. The Joe Biden administration “can launch more nuclear projects across the country, we can power more communities with clean energy, […]

Two of the government’s top decision makers on nuclear energy again asked the nuclear energy industry for its help to get their goals for nuclear power across the finish line at a trade conference Monday. The Joe Biden administration “can launch more nuclear projects across the country, we can power more communities with clean energy, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced this week that it was giving out cash awards to academic institutions focusing on nuclear science and engineering, according to a press release. 30 four-year universities, trade schools, community colleges and other institutions were part of NRC’s $10.7 million grant award, the agency said in a press release Tuesday. The […]

The Joe Biden administration’s budget request proves they’re willing to help out the nuclear energy industry as part of its clean energy agenda, the Secretary of Energy said at a trade group conference this week. “The administration isn’t just ready to talk the talk, we’re willing to walk the walk” on nuclear energy, said Jennifer […]

A proposed testing program for an experimental, 20-kilowatt nuclear reactor — and its eventual dismantling and defueling after a planned two-year run — won’t harm the environment, the Department of Energy reiterated this week in a final environmental review for the project. In a proposed finding of no significant impact notice published Tuesday on its […]

The Joe Biden administration’s budget request proves they’re willing to help out the nuclear energy industry as part of its clean energy agenda, the Secretary of Energy said at a trade group conference Tuesday. “The administration isn’t just ready to talk the talk, we’re willing to walk the walk” on nuclear energy, said Jennifer Granholm […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will focus on modernization of the existing fleet of nuclear power plants and developing regulations for advanced reactors, the agency’s chairman told one of the nuclear industry’s largest trade groups at its annual conference Monday. NRC wants to ensure the nation’s current fleet of nuclear plants are outfitted with new technologies […]

Despite this year’s spate of plant closures the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking for increased funding for regulation of new reactors during the 2022 fiscal year, according to recently published budget documents. Of the roughly $890 appropriation NRC would get if the Joe Biden administration’s budget plan were to become law, about $89 million would […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy would get a cash infusion for its advanced reactor development program and support for consent-based siting for a permanent waste repository would begin after Sept. 30, if the 2022 budget request rolled out Friday became law. The request calls for $370 million for the Office of Nuclear […]

An Oregon designer of small modular reactors has linked up with a venture to build four small reactors at the Department of Energy’s Hanford site in Washington. The same design company also  lined up an undisclosed amount of incoming cash and a pipeline for parts from a Japanese company.  Both transactions were announced Wednesday.  NuScale […]

The Department of Energy’s goal of establishing a “clean energy standard” for zero-carbon sources of electricity will ensure that demand for nuclear power stays high in the face of mounting plant closures, the Secretary of Energy said this week. “The number one solution the [Joe Biden] administration believes is very important for nuclear’s future is […]

The Department of Energy announced Wednesday a new program aiming to reduce the volume of spent nuclear fuel produced by advanced reactors, according to a press release. The “Optimizing Nuclear Waste and Advanced Reactor Disposal Systems” (ONWARDS) program under DOE’s existing Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will get up to $40 million in funding from […]

As part of a flurry of Department of Energy appointments on Monday, the Joe Biden administration made nuclear engineering professor Kathryn Huff the acting head of DOE’s nuclear energy office. Biden appointed Kathryn Huff principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy, second in command at the DOE office that oversees research on nuclear energy and […]

As part of a flurry of Department of Energy appointments on Monday, the Joe Biden administration made nuclear engineering professor Kathryn Huff the acting head of DOE’s nuclear energy office. Biden appointed Kathryn Huff principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy, second in command at the DOE office that oversees research on nuclear energy and […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear energy office is looking for small businesses to advise them on issues surrounding the advanced nuclear fuel cycle. The Office of Nuclear Energy needs advisory services from small businesses to help the agency address some of the challenges of “scaling up new nuclear reactor and fuel cycle technologies from laboratory-scale […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear energy office is looking for small businesses to advise them on issues surrounding the advanced nuclear fuel cycle. The Office of Nuclear Energy needs advisory services from small businesses to help the agency address some of the challenges of “scaling up new nuclear reactor and fuel cycle technologies from laboratory-scale […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is independent from the Biden administration’s energy goals, but that shouldn’t “be an impediment to innovation and deployment,” the agency’s chairman said at an industry summit this week. The NRC’s regulatory independence is a critical element of ensuring public trust, Christopher Hanson said Tuesday during his opening remarks to the U.S. […]