Reactor Licensing & Regulation

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted the first part of a Holtec International subsidiary’s construction permit application for review, according to Holtec’s Wednesday LinkedIn post. NRC said in a Feb. 13 letter it has completed the acceptance review for the permit, submitted Dec. 31 by Holtec’s SMR, LLC..  Along with the first part of […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted the first part of a Holtec International subsidiary’s construction permit application for review, according to Holtec’s Wednesday LinkedIn post. NRC said in a Feb. 13 letter it has completed the acceptance review for the permit, submitted Dec. 31 by Holtec’s SMR, LLC.. Along with the first part of […]

The Department of Energy approved the preliminary documented safety analysis for Radiant Nuclear’s Kaleidos demonstration reactor Monday. El Segundo, Calif.-based Radiant becomes the second company to have its safety analysis approved by DOE under its advanced reactor pilot program, with the first being Antares Nuclear. Through the program, DOE has set a goal of at […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted Duke Energy’s early site permit application for the Belews Creek Station near Stokes County, N.C. NRC staff found that the application contains enough information for the agency to formally docket the case and begin its detailed technical reviews, according to its press release. Docketing the application does not mean […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted Duke Energy’s early site permit application for the Belews Creek Station near Stokes County, N.C. NRC staff found that the application contains enough information for the agency to formally docket the case and begin its detailed technical reviews, according to its press release. Docketing the application does not mean […]

The Department of Energy approved the preliminary documented safety analysis for Radiant Nuclear’s Kaleidos demonstration reactor Monday. El Segundo, Calif.-based Radiant becomes the second company to have its safety analysis approved by DOE under its advanced reactor pilot program, with the first being Antares Nuclear. Through the program, DOE has set a goal of at […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Type One Energy submitted a byproduct material license application with the state of Tennessee Thursday in preparation for a commercial fusion project. TVA and Type One Energy additionally worked with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to prepare for the application, according to Type One Energy’s press release. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has launched an agency-wide reorganization to streamline decision-making in an effort to create more efficient licensing procedures. NRC said it will reorganize around core business lines of new reactors, operating reactors and nuclear materials and waste, according to the agency’s Wednesday press release.  Within the overhaul, “licensing and inspection functions […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has launched an agency-wide reorganization to streamline decision-making in an effort to create more efficient licensing procedures. NRC said it will reorganize around core business lines of new reactors, operating reactors and nuclear materials and waste, according to the agency’s Wednesday press release.  Within the overhaul, “licensing and inspection functions […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Monday an opportunity for the public to request a hearing on a request from an Entergy subsidiary company to renew its early site permit for the Grand Gulf site in Mississippi. System Energy Resources was issued the early site permit in 2007 and it is set to expire on April […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) has overhauled and hollowed out much of its nuclear safety regulations, according to a recent National Public Radio report.  According to the Jan. 28 NPR article, over the course of fall and winter, DOE has slashed hundreds of pages of requirements for security at the reactors, loosened protections for groundwater […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) has granted a Texas environmental group’s petition to intervene in the case surrounding Dow and X-Energy’s construction permit application for Seadrift, Texas. The ASLB ruling on the intervention petition, which was issued Jan. 22, found that San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper (Waterkeeper) established grounds to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has launched an agency-wide reorganization to streamline decision-making in an effort to create more efficient licensing procedures. NRC said it will reorganize around core business lines of new reactors, operating reactors and nuclear materials and waste, according to the agency’s Wednesday press release.  Within the overhaul, “licensing and inspection functions […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) has granted a Texas environmental group’s petition to intervene in the case surrounding Dow and X-Energy’s construction permit application for Seadrift, Texas. The ASLB ruling on the intervention petition, which was issued Jan. 22, found that San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper (Waterkeeper) established grounds to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has appointed Christopher Carroll to be its chief financial officer effective immediately, NRC said in a Jan. 26 press release.  Carroll has been working as the acting CFO for the agency since May 2025. He joined NRC in 2024 as the deputy CFO after 24 years of service in the Air […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Type One Energy submitted a byproduct material license application with the state of Tennessee Thursday in preparation for a commercial fusion project. TVA and Type One Energy additionally worked with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to prepare for the application, according to Type One Energy’s press release. […]

The Department of Energy has approved Antares Nuclear’s Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis for its demonstration reactor under DOE’s reactor pilot program. Under the program, DOE has set out a goal of at least three reactors reaching criticality by July 4. Antares, founded in 2023, was one of the 10 companies selected for the program. The […]

Weakening the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) radiation protection standard is not supported by current research and could harm people, especially women and children, a former Department of Energy official wrote in a Jan. 23 article. Former DOE assistant secretary of Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff published an opinion piece in Scientific American cautioning against the idea […]

The Department of Energy has approved Antares Nuclear’s Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis for its demonstration reactor under DOE’s reactor pilot program. Under the program, DOE has set out a goal of at least three reactors reaching criticality by July 4. Antares, founded in 2023, was one of the 10 companies selected for the program. The […]

President Donald Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week he wants to get nuclear power plant approval time down to three weeks. When contacted by Exchange Monitor Thursday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said in a statement it is trying to shorten its license review periods.  “NRC is currently engaged […]

The Department of Energy last week denied it has done away with long-time radiation safety standards as reported by a Washington, D.C.-based publication earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it is continuing to review its radiation standards as directed by the White House.  In a Friday Jan. 16 email reply […]

Salt Lake City-based EnergySolutions has filed a notice of intent with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) confirming the company’s plans to develop new generation at the shuttered Kewaunee nuclear plant site in Wisconsin. In a press release posted online Monday, EnergySolutions said it is working with WEC Energy, a Milwaukee-based utility holding company, on the […]

The Department of Energy last week denied it has done away with long-time radiation safety standards as reported by a Washington, D.C.-based publication earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it is continuing to review its radiation standards as directed by the White House.  In a Friday Jan. 16 email reply […]

The Department of Energy last week denied it has done away with long-time radiation safety standards as reported by a Washington, D.C.-based publication earlier this month. In a Friday Jan. 16 email reply to Exchange Monitor, a DOE spokesperson denied an earlier report by Politico’s E&E News that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright was ending […]

Salt Lake City-based EnergySolutions has filed a notice of intent with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) confirming the company’s plans to develop new generation at the shuttered Kewaunee nuclear plant site in Wisconsin. In a press release posted online Monday, EnergySolutions said it is working with WEC Energy, a Milwaukee-based utility holding company, on the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a hybrid question and answer session Tuesday afternoon to discuss ways the agency can improve procedures for subsequent license renewals. The meeting will take place at NRC’s headquarters in Rockville, Md. from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. It can also be viewed through Microsoft Teams.  In addition […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received the first stage of a Holtec subsidiary’s two-part construction permit application for two small modular reactors (SMRs) at Palisaded nuclear power plant in Michigan. NRC is reviewing the application to see if it is complete. If so, the application will then be docketed for a detailed technical review […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Coming off the tailwinds of a year filled with nuclear project announcements, regulatory changes will be vital in 2026, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Maria Korsnick said at a Thursday forum. The restart of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan, fuel supply chain needs and the continuation of nuclear […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received the first stage of a Holtec subsidiary’s two-part construction permit application for two small modular reactors (SMRs) at Palisaded nuclear power plant in Michigan. NRC is reviewing the application to see if it is complete. If so, the application will then be docketed for a detailed technical review […]

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy has submitted an early site permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a site near Stokes County, N.C. The site will be near Duke’s Belews Creek Station in Stokes County. The submission of the application comes after two years of environmental assessment and technical analysis, Duke said in its […]