Reactor Licensing & Regulation

The Senate on Environment and Public Works Committee voted 10 to 9 along party lines Wednesday to advance the re-nomination of David Wright to be a commissioner on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. With the slim passing of Wright’s re-nomination, he will be due to go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote at a […]

Vistra Corp’s Perry Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 operating license has been renewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission through November 2046. The 1,268-megawatt nuclear plant in Perry, Ohio is a single-unit plant. The plant first began operation in 1986 and is currently operating under its initial 40-year license. Perry was initially planned to be a […]

The Senate on Environment and Public Works Committee voted 10 to 9 along party lines Wednesday to advance the re-nomination of David Wright to be a commissioner on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. With the slim passing of Wright’s re-nomination, he will be due to go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote at a […]

Global Laser Enrichment has submitted its full license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in Paducah, Ky., the company said last week. The Wilmington, N.C. based company that licenses laser enrichment technology owned by Australia’s Silex Systems recently filed in its safety analysis report to complete its full license […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has pivoted to a 19-month review schedule of TerraPower’s construction permit application for its Natrium plant in Kemmerer, Wyo. TerraPower’s Kemmerer Unit 1 project’s construction permit application review is to be completed by Dec. 31, according to the NRC July 1 letter to the company. The agency expects to have TerraPower’s […]

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is scheduled to vote Wednesday morning at 8:45 a.m. on the renomination of David Wright to be a commissioner on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Wright was renominated by President Donald Trump on June 16. He was previously appointed to serve on the NRC in May 2018, during […]

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board panel has rejected the latest contentions filed by citizen groups against restart of the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The three-judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) panel ruled on June 20 against the petitioning organizations of Beyond Nuclear, Don’t Waste Michigan, Michigan Safe Energy Future, […]

As President Donald Trump’s administration presses the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve more advanced reactors, NRC has a bunch of proposals in the pipeline. Last week during former NRC Chair David Wright’s Senate nomination hearing, he called NRC’s advanced reactor sector of its agency a “shining star”.  Wright credited the Advance Act for directing the […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright’s term has concluded on Monday and is no longer with the commission, at least temporarily. Wright was originally sworn as a commissioner in May 2018 as he was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term. Wright was renominated on June 16 and underwent a hearing before the […]

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board panel has rejected the latest contentions filed by citizen groups against restart of the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The three-judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) panel ruled on June 20 against the petitioning organizations of Beyond Nuclear, Don’t Waste Michigan, Michigan Safe Energy Future, […]

Despite the recent executive order to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, safety will continue to be the independent agency’s highest priority, NRC Chair David Wright told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. “Safety is our strike zone over home plate, it is our North Star and it will continue to be that,” […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said June 18 it has decided three policy matters designed to hasten microreactor licensing. . Microreactors are small nuclear reactors capable of producing electricity from a range of 1 to 20 megawatts. These reactors also can be fabricated in a factory and then shipped to the final location. First, NRC decided […]

Nearly 30 former Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff members and one ex-chair criticized President Donald Trump’s firing of Commissioner Christopher Hanson in a Tuesday letter. On June 13 Trump fired Hanson from his position on the Commission in a move that shook up the nuclear industry. The Tuesday letter was written to the agency’s four remaining […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently amended its regulations for the licensing, special projects and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for fiscal 2025.  According to the NRC Tuesday press release, the agency will reduce the hourly rate for advanced nuclear reactor applicants and pre-applicants for specific activities required by the Advance Act. […]

Nearly 30 former Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff members and one ex-chair criticized President Donald Trump’s firing of Commissioner Christopher Hanson in a Tuesday letter. On June 13 Trump fired Hanson from his position on the Commission in a move that shook up the nuclear industry. The Tuesday letter was written to the agency’s four remaining […]

Despite the recent executive order to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, safety will continue to be the independent agency’s highest priority, NRC Chair David Wright told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. “Safety is our strike zone over home plate, it is our North Star and it will continue to be that,” […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said June 18 it has decided three policy matters designed to hasten deployment of microreactors. Microreactors are small nuclear reactors capable of producing electricity from a range of 1 to 20 megawatts. These reactors also can be fabricated in a factory and then shipped to the final location. First, NRC decided […]

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a meeting with the agency’s board of directors June 16, called on all parties involved since Israel attacked Iran to exercise “maximum restraint.” “Military escalation threatens lives, increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment and delays indispensable […]

On the heels of a controversial firing of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission member, President Donald Trump has renominated NRC Chairman David Wright to serve another term. The Wright nomination was sent to the Senate and referred to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Monday. Wright’s hearing is scheduled for June 25 at 10 […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s executive director of operations, Mirela Gavrilas, has announced her retirement from the independent agency, effective June 28.   Gavrilas told the NRC staff of her retirement in an emailed statement, according to an NRC spokesperson. “Serving as your EDO [Executive Director of Operations] this last year has been the absolute highlight of […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Christopher Hanson was fired late Friday June 13 by President Donald Trump, according to Hanson’s Monday LinkedIn post. “Late on Friday, President Trump terminated my position with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission without cause, contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees,” Hanson said A NRC spokesperson […]

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-to-3 Wednesday that the state of Texas and Fasken Land and Minerals are not eligible to seek legal review of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license issued to Interim Storage Partners for a private spent fuel facility in West Texas. “Because Texas and Fasken were not parties to the Commission’s licensing […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently released an 18-month review schedule for X-Energy’s construction permit application for its advanced nuclear project in Seadrift, Texas. The NRC provided estimated dates for the Rockville, Md. based nuclear technology company construction permit application’s safety and environmental reviews on June 10. For the safety review milestones, the agency expects […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s executive director of operations, Mirela Gavrilas, has announced her retirement from the independent agency, effective June 28.   Gavrilas told the NRC staff of her retirement in an emailed statement, according to an NRC spokesperson. “Serving as your EDO [Executive Director of Operations] this last year has been the absolute highlight of […]

On the heels of a controversial firing of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission member, President Donald Trump has renominated NRC Chairman David Wright to serve another term. The Wright nomination was sent to the Senate and referred to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Monday. Wright’s current term is due to end on June […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently released an 18-month review schedule for X-Energy’s construction permit application for its advanced nuclear project in Seadrift, Texas. The NRC provided estimated dates for the Rockville, Md. based nuclear technology company construction permit application’s safety review and environmental review on June 10. For the safety review milestones, the agency […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Christopher Hanson was fired late Friday by President Donald Trump, according to Hanson’s Monday LinkedIn post. “Late on Friday, President Trump terminated my position with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission without cause, contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees,” Hanson said.  A NRC spokesperson confirmed the […]

The Donald Trump administration’s nuclear executive orders are a “significant step forward” for accelerated nuclear deployment, but could undermine the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an American Nuclear Society expert group said recently. On May 23, the Trump administration released a handful of executive orders to speed up new reactor licensing and construction and generally bolster the […]

The Donald Trump administration’s nuclear executive orders are a “significant step forward” for accelerated nuclear deployment, but could undermine the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an American Nuclear Society expert group said recently. On May 23, the Trump administration released a handful of executive orders to speed up new reactor licensing and construction and generally bolster the […]

Orano USA has announced this week  the opening of its Project IKE office building in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The new office will employ 40 people and will be located nearly 10 miles away from the Project IKE site. The office employees will be additional to the 300-workforce expected to be at Orano’s uranium enrichment facility, […]