Innovation & Infrastructure

International Isotopes said Monday its net loss in 2017 was almost exactly double the amount from the prior year, but the spike was due to three factors that are not expected to repeat. The Idaho Falls, Idaho, nuclear medicine company recorded a $3.76 million net loss for the year, according to its latest earnings report. […]

The Department of Energy has authorized the start of construction on key parts of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.: a crucial cog in the government’s 30-year nuclear deterrent-modernization effort. In a Friday press release, DOE said it cleared its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Bechtel National have finished the Site Infrastructure and Services subproject for the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The UPF will eventually replace the World War II-era 9212 complex, reshaping uranium enriched elsewhere into forms suitable for use in nuclear […]

It could be another year before the U.S. Department of Energy publishes an official cost estimate for the multibillion-dollar Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) that Bechtel National is building in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the agency said last week in its detailed fiscal 2019 budget justification. At the same time, significant portions of the UPF at the […]

It could be another year before the U.S. Department of Energy publishes an official cost estimate for the multibillion-dollar Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) that Bechtel National is building in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the agency said last week in its detailed fiscal 2019 budget justification. At the same time, significant portions of the UPF at the […]

A brief not-in-my-backyard bout between the city of Oak Ridge, Tenn., and the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) appears to have ended, with the agency announcing Thursday it plans by late 2019 to erect power lines and a substation for the future Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The semiautonomous Department […]

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, of Beloit, Wis., has received approval from the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its RadioGenix System for production of the medical isotope technetium-99m. A decay product of the isotope molybdenum-99 , technetium-99m is used for medical imaging for cancer, coronary artery disease, and health threats to the lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain. The […]

International Isotopes on Tuesday reported its revenue grew by nearly $500,000 in the third quarter of 2017, but that its net loss also rose by over $1 million. Product sales totaled $1.9 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from just over $1.4 million in the same period of 2016, according to the Idaho […]

Construction of the Mercury Treatment Facility at the Department of Energy’s Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee will ceremonially begin next Monday with assistance from two U.S. lawmakers. Scheduled to attend the 10 a.m. Nov. 20 groundbreaking ceremony are Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouilette, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.). The […]

The Energy Department wants to move a lawsuit filed by environmental and anti-nuclear groups that want to halt construction of new uranium enrichment facilities to a federal court in Tennessee, according to court papers filed last week. DOE wants the lawsuit over the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration plans to publish a master schedule for overhauling elements of its uranium program no sooner than Dec. 31, 2018, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. A cornerstone of that overhaul is the Uranium Production Facility (UPF) to be built at the Y-12 National Security Complex near […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration plans to publish a master schedule for overhauling elements of its uranium program no sooner than Dec. 31, 2018, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. A cornerstone of that overhaul is the Uranium Production Facility (UPF) to be built at the Y-12 National Security Complex near Oak Ridge, […]

Two aging buildings at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee are undergoing electrical modernization upgrades under the facilities’ Extended Life Program (ELP), according to the National Nuclear Security Administration. The NNSA last December received an ELP implementation plan from site contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security for extending the lives of Buildings 9215 and 9204-2E, decades-old enriched uranium […]

Two aging buildings at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee are undergoing electrical modernization upgrades under the facilities’ Extended Life Program (ELP), according to the National Nuclear Security Administration. The NNSA last December received an ELP implementation plan from site contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security for extending the lives of Buildings 9215 and 9204-2E, two decades-old enriched […]

Energy Secretary Rick Perry this week reaffirmed his department’s commitment to sticking within the cost and schedule guidelines for construction of the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) in Tennessee, given stable funding. Perry, who was on Capitol Hill repeatedly for a series of hearings on the Energy Department’s fiscal 2018 budget plan, confirmed DOE would build […]

The Energy Department’s Office of Science office in Oak Ridge will extend for 10 years its contract with the city of Oak Ridge for a potable water supply for the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The contract modification extends the period of performance from completion this June 30 to June […]

The Energy Department’s Office of Science office in Oak Ridge, Tenn., will extend for 10 years its contract with the City of Oak Ridge for a potable water supply for the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The contract modification extends the period of performance from completion this June 30 to […]

Construction of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee remains on track, with certain design and schedule benchmarks set for this fall, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed Wednesday. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) highlighted Wednesday at a Senate Appropriations energy and water subcommittee hearing on the NNSA budget his ongoing […]

Construction of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee remains on track, with certain design and schedule benchmarks set for this fall, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed Wednesday. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) highlighted Wednesday at a Senate Appropriations energy and water subcommittee hearing on the NNSA budget his ongoing […]

International Isotopes on Monday reported another net loss in the first quarter of 2017 on the back of a spike in operating expenses. President and CEO Steve Laflin said this week, though, that a new product offering and other opportunities in coming years could finally drive the company to profitability. The Idaho-based medical isotopes manufacturer […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff recommended the agency authorize construction of a medical isotope production facility in Missouri following completion of an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project. That leaves completion of the safety review for the plant and the NRC’s ruling on the permit application. “After weighing the environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits […]

International Isotopes said Monday its net loss more than doubled in the first quarter on the back of a spike in operating expenses. The Idaho-based medical isotopes manufacturer and radiological services provider reported a quarterly net loss of $786,266 in its latest 10-Q form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That was up by […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff recommended the agency authorize construction of a medical isotope production facility in Missouri following completion of a environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project. “After weighing the environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits against environmental and other costs, and considering reasonable alternatives, the NRC staff’s recommendation, unless safety issues mandate otherwise, […]

SHINE Medical Technologies announced Monday that it has selected nuclear medicine industry veteran Martyn Coombs as a part-time strategic adviser. The announcement comes as the company advances toward the start of construction of its 43,000-square-foot facility in Janesville, Wis., for production of medical isotopes including molybdenum-99. Moly-99 decays into technetium-99m, which is used widely for […]

The Department of Energy’s Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories on Wednesday were named to Reuters Top 25 Global Innovators list, a ranking of “publicly funded institutions doing the most to advance science and technology,” according to the global news organization. Los Alamos, in New Mexico, landed at No. 24, while California-based Livermore rounded […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration on Tuesday approved Critical Decision (CD)-4 for the High Explosives Pressing Facility (HEPF) at the Pantex Plant, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said Wednesday at the ExchangeMonitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Washington, D.C. CD-4 indicates readiness to operate the facility, following the construction phase. The agency in 2011 began construction of […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s cybersecurity program is stable, improving, and has not faced any major incidents in recent years, the agency’s chief information officer told NS&D Monitor this week. The cyber program is “very strong,” both at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at each of its sites around the country, Wayne Jones, […]

It has been 15 years since the last injury in operations of the Elza Switchyard at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, site management and operations contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) said Tuesday. The switchyard is a 161,000-volt electrical system that provides 100 percent of the electricity for the National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear […]

Holtec International this week revealed a “cutting-edge” decommissioning approach it said will allow utilities to convert nuclear plant sites to greenfield status about five-and-a-half years after reactor shutdown. The “proto-prompt” system features a friction-stir welded Metamic HT fuel basket, which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed in 2008. The nuclear waste company developed the concept to […]

Holtec International this week revealed a “cutting-edge” decommissioning approach it said will allow utilities to convert nuclear plant sites to greenfield status about five-and-a-half years after reactor shutdown. The “proto-prompt” system features a friction-stir welded Metamic HT fuel basket, which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed in 2008. The nuclear waste company developed the concept to address the […]