Archive

Innovation & Infrastructure

Reporting on construction, facility upgrades, digital transformation, AI deployment, and technology initiatives reshaping how the weapons complex and nuclear sector operate.

  • Savannah River prime establishes hub for targeted research for NNSA

    Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the management and operating contractor at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Savannah River Site, established the Office of Innovation in September, the prime said in a press release Wednesday. The Office of Innovation will be a dedicated hub for research and technology at Savannah River Site and will craft a […]

  • DOE kicks off $293M Genesis Mission solicitation

    The Department of Energy is inviting teams from national laboratories, domestic industry, and universities to submit proposals as part of a $293-million requisition for application (RFA) being issued as part of the Genesis Mission. DOE said in a Tuesday press release it is inviting submissions for “The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI […]

  • DOE kicks off $293M Genesis Mission solicitation

    The Department of Energy is inviting teams from national laboratories, domestic industry, and universities to submit proposals as part of a $293-million requisition for application (RFA) being issued as part of the Genesis Mission. DOE said in a Tuesday press release it is inviting submissions for “The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI […]

  • DOE looks to squeeze up to 5 GW out of current nuclear fleet by 2029

    The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has unveiled a new effort to add 2,500 megawatts of nuclear power to the grid by 2027 through uprates to existing plants and restarting some closed reactors. The Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) program aims to bring 2,500 megawatts of additional power by 2027 and […]

  • DOE creates ‘Launch Pad’ for emerging nuclear technologies

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a new initiative focused on accelerated development of new advanced nuclear technology. DOE said in its March 5 press release the new initiative, Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, will create a hub to speed up advanced nuclear technology deployment using technical and regulatory frameworks on federal and non-federal lands. […]

  • Landlocked Livermore must tear down the old before building the new, exec says

    PHOENIX – The land-constrained Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco, Calif. must demolish decaying old buildings covering a third of its footprint over the next 16 years, Livermore manager Mark Costella said here Tuesday. Livermore’s main Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) campus takes up only one square mile, Costella said. As […]

  • Genesis Mission should produce advanced scientific platform, DOE exec says

    PHOENIX— A Genesis consortium of public, private partnerships has already identified more than two dozen national science challenges, Kristen Ellis, a longtime DOE supervisor who is currently the associate principal deputy undersecretary for science, said here Tuesday. The Genesis Mission is designed to be a joint effort by industry and the Department of Energy’s national […]

  • Genesis Mission should produce advanced scientific platform, DOE exec says

    PHOENIX— A Genesis consortium of public, private partnerships has already identified more than two dozen national science challenges, Kristen Ellis, a longtime DOE supervisor who is currently the associate principal deputy undersecretary for science, said here Tuesday. The Genesis Mission is designed to be a joint effort by industry and the Department of Energy’s national […]

  • Genesis Mission should produce advanced scientific platform, DOE exec says

    PHOENIX— A Genesis consortium of public, private partnerships has already identified more than two dozen national science challenges, Kristen Ellis, a longtime DOE supervisor who is currently the associate principal deputy undersecretary for science, said here Tuesday. The Genesis Mission is designed to be a joint effort by industry and the Department of Energy’s national […]

  • Southern Company lands $26.5 billion DOE loan

    The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, formerly the Loan Programs Office, has awarded a $26.5 billion loan to Southern Company to invest in its energy infrastructure.  Southern Company said in its Wednesday press release that the term is nearly 30 years of loans and will be split among two utility subsidiaries, Georgia […]

  • Wrap up: NNSA, Sandia and KCNSC open innovation center; Congressman admires B-21s; Orano submits report for uranium enrichment plant; more

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Feb. 12 opened the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation (CAMINO) with Kansas City National Security Campus and Sandia National Laboratories, according to a press release by Sandia. The CAMINO facility is located at Science and Technology Park outside Kirtland Air Force Base. The facility is meant to […]

  • INL, NVIDIA using AI for nuclear work

    The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the tech powerhouse Nvidia have partnered to employ artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate nuclear reactor development. The partnership stems from President Donald Trump administration’s Genesis Mission, according to INL’s Tuesday press release. The Genesis Mission comes from a Trump executive order in November that calls for […]

  • DOE launches Genesis consortium

    The Department of Energy said this week it launched a consortium, or public-private partnership, to support the Donald Trump administration’s Genesis Mission in using artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite research and strengthen national security. According to DOE’s press release, the consortium will feature capabilities from DOE, the national laboratories, the private sector and academic institutions. […]

  • Wrap up: Chris Wright press conference Sunday; U.S.-Armenia 123 agreement; Genesis mission; more

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will accompany Valar Atomics’ Ward250 advanced reactor from California to Utah Feb. 15, the Department of Energy said in an email Tuesday. The Ward250 reactor will be transported from March Air Force Base (AFB) in California to Hill AFB in Utah. DOE said the reactor would not be fueled and […]

  • ‘Energy dominance parks’ coming to DOE nuclear complex

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup complex will soon become host to “energy dominance parks,” Tim Walsh, the assistant secretary of energy for Environmental Management, said here Tuesday evening. In coming months, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management will make announcements for both data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) and new nuclear power, […]

  • ‘Energy dominance parks’ coming to DOE nuclear complex

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup complex will soon become host to “energy dominance parks,” Tim Walsh, the assistant secretary of energy for Environmental Management, said here Tuesday evening. In coming months, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management will make announcements for both data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) and new nuclear power, […]

  • Hanford’s digital threat team seeks proactive cyber security defense

    The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., has a six-person cyber threat response in place since 2023 charged with searching for signs of trouble across more than 10,000 connected devices at the federal complex, DOE said last week. Hanford’s Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) team, formed by Hanford’s Leidos-led landlord contractor Hanford […]

  • DOE launches Genesis consortium

    The Department of Energy said Monday it launched a consortium, or public-private partnership, to support the Donald Trump administration’s Genesis Mission in using artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite research and strengthen national security. According to DOE’s press release, the consortium will feature capabilities from DOE, the national laboratories, the private sector and academic institutions. The […]

  • DOE branches lay groundwork for future Y-12 work, NNSA exec says

    ARLINGTON, VA — Two sister entities within the Department of Energy, the Office of Environmental Management and the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), are setting the stage for future work at the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, Tenn. That’s according to NNSA Y-12 field office manager Mary Helen Hitson at Exchange Monitor’s […]

  • Phase 1 of Kansas City expansion expected in June, acting NNSA site boss says

    ARLINGTON, VA. – Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) will complete the first phase of a real estate acquisition project that will add 2 million square feet of office and manufacturing space this June, the site’s acting manager said last week. Shekita Robinson spoke at a panel of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) field […]

  • DOE branches lay groundwork for future Y-12, NNSA exec says

    ARLINGTON, VA — Two sister entities within the Department of Energy, the Office of Environmental Management and the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), are setting the stage for future work at the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, Tenn. That’s according to NNSA Y-12 field office manager Mary Helen Hitson at Exchange Monitor’s […]

  • Nuclear complex fights to attract, keep skilled workers

    ARLINGTON, VA – For sites in the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex recruiting electricians and skilled craftspeople is a big task – and keeping them can be another. This was a key theme to emerge during a Tuesday Jan. 27 panel discussion here at Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit.  Senior managers from National Nuclear […]

  • Nuclear complex fights to attract, keep skilled workers

    ARLINGTON, VA – For sites in the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex recruiting electricians and skilled craftspeople is a big task – and keeping them can be another. This was a key theme to emerge during a Tuesday Jan. 27 panel discussion here at Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit.  Senior managers from National Nuclear […]

  • Phase 1 of Kansas City expansion expected in June, acting NNSA site boss says

    ARLINGTON, VA. – Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) will complete the first phase of a real estate acquisition project that will add 2 million square feet of office and manufacturing space this June, the site’s acting manager said last week. Shekita Robinson spoke at a panel of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) field […]

  • Nuclear complex fights to attract, keep skilled workers

    ARLINGTON, VA – For sites in the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex recruiting electricians and skilled craftspeople is a big task – and keeping them can be another. This was a key theme to emerge during a Tuesday Jan. 27 panel discussion here at Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit.  Senior managers from National Nuclear […]

  • Centrus prepares to expand Oak Ridge manufacturing plant

    Centrus Energy plans to expand its manufacturing plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. at an investment of more than $560 million, according to the company’s Jan. 23 press release. The Bethesda, Md.-based uranium broker said the expansion of the Oak Ridge manufacturing plant supports its plans to expand the uranium enrichment plant at the Department of […]

  • Westinghouse collaborates with two companies to produce Cobalt-60

    Westinghouse has partnered with Nordion and Public Service Enterprise Group Nuclear (PSEG) to launch the first commercial-scale production of Cobalt-60 in pressurized water reactors. Cobalt-60 is a critical isotope used in the medical field and other industries. Isotope uses include cancer radiation therapy, sterilizing medical devices and food irradiation.  Westinghouse, which designed the pressurized water […]

  • Centrus competes with ‘everyone and their brother’ for Oak Ridge labor, CEO says

    ARLINGTON, VA – Competing for workers with other nuclear projects around the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee is a concern, Centrus Energy CEO Amir Vexler said here this week. Recently, Centrus announced plans to expand its Oak Ridge manufacturing facility to assist in its plans to expand its uranium enrichment in Piketon, […]

  • Charles Ball appointed head of AI, Genesis Mission at NNSA

    ARLINGTON, VA – Charles Ball was named the lead for the Genesis Mission at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency’s head Brandon Williams said Tuesday in his keynote at Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. The Genesis Mission is an executive order from November by President Donald Trump which calls for a national effort […]

  • Kiewit exec: NNSA infrastructure must be overhauled swiftly, safely

    ARLINGTON, VA -The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its contractors must modernize key infrastructure quickly, a Kiewit Nuclear executive said here Monday. “We are at an inflection point,” Mike Rinehart, president of Kiewit Nuclear Solutions, told Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit Monday afternoon. “The nuclear security enterprise is expected […]