Innovation & Infrastructure

Perma-Fix Environmental Services announced yesterday that the company had received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office for its Technetium-99 production technology in mid-August. The Patent Office issued an allowance that granted Perma-Fix all the claims it made in its application for preparation of its Microporous Composite Material and its derivatives. “Issuance of this patent […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously voted yesterday to approve the Staff’s proposal to enable a speedier and more efficient review of SHINE Medical Industries’ low-energy neutron source design for the production of molybdenum-99 under the 10.CFR.50 regulations. SHINE is one of several companies trying to get through the regulatory hurdles to begin the production of […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 8/22/2014 KANSAS CITY—Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration and contractor officials formally dedicated the NNSA’s new Kansas City Plant today, unveiling a facility that has helped modernize the nation’s weapons complex but that officials also hope could renew a unique approach in paying for some of the infrastructure needs across […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s new Kansas City Plant will be formally dedicated Friday in an event that is expected to be attended by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), among others. Plant contractor Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies completed the move to its new home last month, […]

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has wrapped up work to upgrade the Savannah River Site’s H Canyon facility three months ahead of schedule, the contractor said late last week. SRNS said it completed 16 facility modifications that included sealing off abandoned piping, upgrading High Efficiency Particulate Air filters in the central exhaust system, and replacing doors […]

NorthStar Medial Radioisotopes signed a non-exclusive letter of intent late last week with GE Healthcare to supply the company with molybdenum-99, the medical isotope used in millions of medical procedures each year. NorthStar is one of several companies trying to get through the regulatory hurdles to begin the production of the moly-99 following the announcement […]

Department to Extend Credit Monitoring Service for Another Year Mike Nartker WC Monitor 7/25/2014 Approximately a year after a significant cyber security breach at the Department of Energy put the personal information of thousands of people at risk, there have been no signs of misuse of data, according to the Department. The breach, which occurred […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/25/2014 With new Y-12/Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security in place, the Uranium Processing Facility is revamping its management structure and bringing in a senior project management official from Los Alamos National Laboratory to serve as deputy project director. Project Director Brian Reilly said in a recent message to the UPF project […]

Department to Extend Credit Monitoring Service for Another Year Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 7/25/2014 Approximately a year after a significant cyber security breach at the Department of Energy put the personal information of thousands of people at risk, there have been no signs of misuse of data, according to the Department. The breach, which occurred […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 7/25/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration’s three nuclear weapons laboratories garnered nine 2013 R&D 100 Awards handed out by R&D Magazine, led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which was selected for four awards. Known as the “Oscars of Innovation,” the awards have been given out since 1963 for the best technological […]

With new Y-12/Pantex contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security in place, the Uranium Processing Facility is revamping its management structure and bringing in a senior project management official from Los Alamos National Laboratory to serve as deputy project director. Project Director Brian Reilly said in a recent message to the UPF project team obtained by NS&D Monitor […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 7/18/2014 Bechtel said this week that it is establishing a program aimed at developing cyber security experts in conjunction with the two nuclear weapons laboratories it runs. Early-career professionals will rotate through Bechtel headquarters and Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories during the three-year program, which is designed to provide […]

New Task Force To Look at Ways to Improve EM Tech. Development Mike Nartker WC Monitor 7/18/2014 Efforts to develop new cleanup-related technologies could be aided through the creation of a program similar to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Savannah River National Laboratory Director Terry Michalske said this week. Michalske outlined what he […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/18/2014 Westinghouse Electric Company has successfully installed its new spent fuel pool level instrumentation system at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar nuclear plant, the company announced this week. Westinghouse developed the technology in response to regulations issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission following the disaster at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear […]

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes broke ground yesterday on its new 50,000 square foot facility in Beloit, Wis. that will host its headquarters and activities related to the production of molybdenum-99 (Moly-99). NorthStar is one of several companies looking to take advantage of the up-coming Moly-99 shortage in 2016, and the company is currently seeking Food and […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management needs to do a better job in making the case for additional funds to develop improved cleanup technologies, a senior EM official said yesterday. “I think we have not done a very good job explaining what is it exactly we need technology development dollars for,” Monica Regalbuto, […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 7/11/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration has entered into a contract arrangement with Cray to develop a new supercomputer to aid the NNSA’s stockpile stewardship activities. ‘Trinity,’ as the new supercomputer will be called, is scheduled for delivery beginning mid-2015 and will have “at least eight times greater applications performance” than […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/11/2014 The New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved a plan this week that would give a $260 million tax credit over 10 years to Holtec International to locate some of its operations in Camden, N.J. The plan calls for the construction of a 600,000 square foot manufacturing facility and design […]

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority plans to vote on a proposal today that would give a $260 million dollar tax credit over ten years to Holtec International Inc. to locate some of its operation in Camden, N.J. The details of the plan are not known at this time, but both Holtec and the NJEDA […]

Held Tells Congress ‘Common Sense’ Approach to Uranium, Plutonium Capabilities Will Be Quicker, Cheaper Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 After years of moving toward building massive facilities to modernize its uranium and plutonium capabilities, a scaled back approach to modernizing the weapons complex that is expected to be quicker and cheaper has been adopted by the […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Red Team has reached a “strong consensus” on an alternative plan to the Uranium Processing Facility, according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, the team leader. Mason said the Red Team made its second on-site visit to the Y-12 National Security Complex last […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 The Department of Energy is looking to make changes to its human capital and IT services that could result in a greater consolidation from the field to DOE headquarters. Among the proposals under consideration, according to officials familiar with the discussions, is the shift of some human capital functions from […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 3/14/2014 The NNSA’s Red Team investigating alternatives to the Uranium Processing Facility spent a whirlwind three and a half days this week at Y-12, getting briefings and an up-close look at the Oak Ridge plant’s uranium operations, and then adjourned to Oak Ridge National Laboratory a few miles away for discussions […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 3/07/2014 The number of nuclear engineers emerging from U.S. colleges and universities continues to rise, according to a new report by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. According to the report, there’s a significant increase at all levels, bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. Overall, 655 students received […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 2/28/2014 A senior Department of Energy official late this week confirmed DOE has been examining the possible creation of a new organization that would be responsible for major line-item construction projects, but stressed that the idea was one among many under consideration to help improve how DOE manages projects. “There are […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 2/28/2014 The Department of Energy has made “significant progress” on commitments for improving work planning and control in response to concerns from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DOE told the DNFSB this month. In August 201,2 the DNFSB sent a letter to DOE detailing issues with the implementation of work […]

Shine Medical Technologies entered into a three-way memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PT Industri Nuklir Indonesia (INUKI) and IPTN North America, Inc. (INA) last week that could potentially include an investment into Shine’s planned molybdenum-99 (moly-99) production facility. Shine has already submitted a construction authorization application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and if it receives […]

Staff Reports NS&D Monitor 2/14/2014 The ‘Red Team’ that’s looking for affordable alternatives to the Uranium Processing Facility is expected to have their recommendations to the National Nuclear Security Administration by mid-April, according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, who’s heading the team. Mason said those are his “marching orders” from NNSA Acting […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 6/20/2014 The United Kingdom’s National Nuclear Laboratory signed an agreement this week to work more closely with Studsvik UK Limited and FriGeo AB on the development and application of a freezing technology. The technology could potentially have an application across different radioactive waste management strategies, including sampling and decommissioning, to […]

NS&D Monitor 6/20/2014 Wind Farm Project Completed Officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Energy, Siemens Government Technologies Inc. and Pantex Plant M&O contractor B&W Pantex this week officially launched the Pantex Renewable Energy Project (PREP), a wind farm that is expected to generate roughly  60 percent of the plant’s yearly energy […]