Reactor Licensing & Regulation

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses for all three units at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama.  Browns Ferry’s Unit 1 operating license will now expire in December 2053, June 2054 for Unit 2 and July 2056 for Unit 3.  “The subsequent license renewal at Browns Ferry marks a […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee, Douglas Weaver, in a 15 – 4 vote at Wednesday’s business meeting. Weaver will now move forward to a full Senate vote on his nomination to be an NRC commissioner. If confirmed, he will serve the remainder of former commissioner Annie Caputo’s […]

Finland’s nuclear regulator has received its third extension to complete the assessment of Posiva Oy’s operating license application for its spent nuclear fuel deep geological repository, Onkalo. The Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority’s May to November oversight report said it expects to submit its opinion on the application by June 2026. The previous due […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee, Douglas Weaver, in a 15 – 4 vote at Wednesday’s business meeting. Weaver will now move forward to a full Senate vote on his nomination to be an NRC commissioner. If confirmed, he will serve the remainder of former commissioner Annie Caputo’s […]

Finland’s nuclear regulator has received its third extension to complete the assessment of Posiva Oy’s operating license application for its spent nuclear fuel deep geological repository, Onkalo. The Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority’s May to November oversight report said it expects to submit its opinion on the application by June 2026. The previous due […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  December 09: Conference: The second South Carolina Nuclear Summit starts at 9 a.m. Eastern Time at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. 09: Public meeting: The DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) holds a public meeting on tritium waste containers at […]

The Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission will hold a hybrid meeting on Thursday and hear a report from Waste Control Specialists (WCS) President David Carlson.  Calrson will present a report on recent site operations at Andrews, Texas-based WCS. The WCS report will include status and schedule of construction of additional capacity, according to […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will consider the nomination of Douglas Weaver to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission during a Wednesday business meeting.  The panel is expected to vote on the Weaver NRC nomination as well as the nomination of Lee Beaman to be a member of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board of […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed the final safety evaluation for TerraPower’s Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo. NRC, which completed the evaluation a month ahead of its accelerated schedule, concluded that there are no safety concerns that would prevent issuing TerraPower its construction permit, according to its Monday press release. The company filed its construction […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee Douglas Weaver told a Senate committee this week if confirmed, he will prioritize safety and preserve NRC independence. “I’m not seeking to come back to the NRC to tear down the organization that’s done so much for me,” Weaver said in response to a question from Sen. Sheldon […]

Ho Nieh was ceremonially sworn in as a Nuclear Regulatory Commission member on Thursday. Nieh was confirmed by the full Senate in a 66 – 32 vote Nov. 19. After being sworn in, he is now the first former NRC resident inspector to be a commissioner, according to NRC’s Thursday press release. Nieh will take […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee Douglas Weaver told a Senate committee Wednesday if confirmed, he will prioritize safety and preserve NRC independence. “I’m not seeking to come back to the NRC to tear down the organization that’s done so much for me,” Weaver said in response to a question from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed the final safety evaluation for TerraPower’s Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo. NRC, which completed the evaluation a month ahead of its accelerated schedule, concluded that there are no safety concerns that would prevent issuing TerraPower its construction permit, according to its Monday press release. The company filed its construction […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  December 03: Confirmation hearing: Starts at 10 a.m. Eastern Time when the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee takes up the nomination of Douglas Weaver to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 09: Conference: The second South Carolina Nuclear Summit […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee Douglas Weaver on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time in room 562 in the Senate Dirksen Office Building. Weaver will also be joined by Tennessee Valley Authority board nominee Lee Beaman. Weaver, the fifth potential commissioner for NRC, […]

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, the California-based defense and technology company, has finished the conceptual design of a new helium gas-cooled fast reactor, the Department of Energy said last week. The advanced reactor is one of three early-stage projects supported by the department, DOE said in a Nov. 25 press release. The General Atomics company is […]

Energy Communities Alliance will hold a virtual meeting on Dec. 4 to discuss colocating nuclear reactors with artificial intelligence data centers. The webinar, “Advancing New Nuclear with Datacenter Development”, will also explore concerns local officials must address, such as community engagement, regulatory considerations and siting. The session will discuss issues on co-locating nuclear power reactors […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has rescheduled its three-judge panel’s oral arguments until Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on challenges to Long Mott Energy’s construction permit application. The oral arguments, originally scheduled for Oct. 6, were previously postponed due to the government shutdown. NRC published a press release on Nov. 20 of the updated […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Thursday announced reorganization of the Department of Energy with a prominent role in the organizational chart for the semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). A link to the new org chart shows an office of undersecretary for nuclear security and NNSA being one of the three biggest silos reporting up […]

Beyond Nuclear has filed suit in federal court in Michigan trying to slam the brakes on Holtec’s restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant. Together with Don’t Waste Michigan and Michigan Safe Energy Future, Beyond Nuclear asked a U.S. District Court in the Western District of Michigan for an injunction blocking the restart approved […]

The U.S. Senate voted 66 to 32 to confirm Ho Nieh to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Wednesday afternoon. Democratic Sens. Chris Coons (Del.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), John Fetterman (Penn.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Jack Reed […]

The Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission have recently updated a 2019 memorandum of understanding to better coordinate the review of advanced nuclear energy reactor technologies. The document, drafted in October and made public this month, seeks to balance DOE’s traditional role in researching and promoting nuclear energy with NRC’s traditional role as a […]

More than three-dozen nuclear critics and environmental groups contend in a recent letter that President Donald Trump’s executive actions could weaken radiation protections and endanger public health. “The Trump White House has issued numerous executive orders (EO), including one directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to revise its long-standing radiation rule, Standards for Protection Against […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended its comment period on the draft environmental impact statement for TRISO-X’s special nuclear material license application for its proposed fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Public comments on the draft environmental review were initially due by Nov. 17, but will now be due on Dec. 8, according to […]

The U.S. Senate voted 66 to 32 to confirm Ho Nieh to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Wednesday afternoon. Democratic Sens. Chris Coons (Del.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), John Fetterman (Penn.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Jack Reed […]

Beyond Nuclear has filed suit in federal court in Michigan trying to slam the brakes on Holtec’s restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant. Together with Don’t Waste Michigan and Michigan Safe Energy Future, Beyond Nuclear asked a U.S. District Court in the Western District of Michigan for an injunction blocking the restart approved […]

The U.S. Senate invoked cloture on the nomination of Ho Nieh to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after a 65 – 32 vote Tuesday night. Democratic Sens. Chris Coons (Del.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Mark […]

The Department of Energy said Tuesday it has approved a $1-billion loan to help Constellation Energy restart the former Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear facility, recently renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center. In a Tuesday press release, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said the DOE Loan Programs Office closed on a loan “to lower […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will conduct an emergency preparedness test Wednesday at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring City, Tenn. TVA said in a press release the exercise is a part of an ongoing series required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure preparedness in case of an […]

More than three-dozen nuclear critics and environmental groups contend in a recent letter that President Donald Trump’s executive actions could weaken radiation protections and endanger public health. “The Trump White House has issued numerous executive orders (EO), including one directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to revise its long-standing radiation rule, Standards for Protection Against […]