Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) last month began receiving liquid highly enriched uranium from Canada under a controversial program that will have the material traveling major U.S. highways on its way to South Carolina for the next few years. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) said in an April 21 site report […]

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) last month began receiving liquid highly enriched uranium from Canada under a controversial program that will have the material traveling major U.S. highways on its way to South Carolina for the next few years. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) said in an April 21 site report […]

Centrus Energy hedged the end date for decommissioning and decontaminating its shuttered industrial-scale uranium-enrichment demonstration in Ohio, saying in its latest quarterly earnings report Tuesday the project will be “substantially complete” by year’s end. In the 2017 first quarter, Centrus spent some $5.4 to decommission and decontaminate (D&D) the American Centrifuge plant at the Department of […]

The nuclear energy industry and some lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to press for a new U.S. domestic uranium enrichment capability, though not necessarily for the same reasons. At a May 3 public witness hearing before the House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) asked Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the […]

Centrus Energy hedged the end date for decommissioning and decontaminating its shuttered industrial-scale uranium-enrichment demonstration in Ohio, saying in its latest quarterly earnings report Tuesday the project will be “substantially complete” by year’s end. In the 2017 first quarter, Centrus spent some $5.4 to decommission and decontaminate (D&D) the American Centrifuge plant at the Department of […]

Beginning in May, the Energy Department will cut the amount of excess government uranium it will barter to help pay for Cold War cleanup at the Portsmouth site in Ohio, the agency said last week. Even so, there will be no layoffs at the facility near Piketon for at least the rest of fiscal 2017, […]

Fluor-BWXT’s Portsmouth could wait until February 2018 to prep the X-326 uranium enrichment building for teardown, but only if it forgoes 30 percent of its award fee, according to a substantially modified contract the Energy Department released late Thursday. DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office uploaded the modified contract, last altered May 1, to its website in […]

Beginning in May, the Energy Department will cut the amount of excess government uranium it will barter to help pay for Cold War cleanup at the Portsmouth site in Ohio, the agency said late Friday. Even so, there will be no layoffs at the facility near Piketon for at least the rest of fiscal 2017, DOE […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still reviewing Centrus Energy Corp.’s plan for decommissioning an industrial-scale uranium enrichment demonstration in Piketon, Ohio, an official said Monday. Centrus sent NRC its plan for dismantling the 1-square-mile American Centrifuge plant at the Energy Department’s Portsmouth site March 1, but the document “has not yet been approved,” Marvin Sykes, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still reviewing Centrus Energy Corp.’s plan for decommissioning an industrial-scale uranium enrichment demonstration in Piketon, Ohio, an official said Monday. Centrus sent NRC its plan for dismantling the 1-square-mile American Centrifuge plant at the Energy Department’s Portsmouth site March 1, but the document “has not yet been approved,” Marvin Sykes, […]

Representatives of the nuclear fuel industry are calling on the Department of Energy to downblend U.S. highly enriched uranium to levels above the low-enriched threshold in anticipation of the needs of advanced nuclear reactors, as the department evaluates options for managing its excess inventory of the nuclear material. The Department of Energy manages its excess […]

Unprecedented shipments of liquid highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Canada to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina will begin this spring, now that the 60-day window has closed to appeal a judge’s decision allowing the Energy Department transports. Groups that had sued against the shipments decided against appealing the directive. Judge Tanya Chutkan, of U.S. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet virtually with Centrus Energy Corp. April 24 to discuss the results of a year’s worth of oversight at the now-defunct American Centrifuge uranium enrichment demonstration in Ohio. The Energy Department in 2015 canceled the industrial-scale uranium enrichment demonstration at the Portsmouth Site near Piketon, Ohio. The NRC, which regulates the […]

The Energy Department should cease funding cleanup of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio with bartered uranium, a Washington-based trade group for the nuclear power industry said last week. Further funding for cleanup of DOE facilities should be provided fully through congressional appropriations, so as not to disrupt uranium markets, Nuclear Energy Institute Fuel Cycle Programs Director […]

EnergySolutions, of Salt Lake City, will clean up and package radioactive waste from the canceled American Centrifuge uranium enrichment demonstration in Piketon, Ohio, according to a document published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The work will be done for Centrus Energy Corp., which was the Energy Department’s prime contractor on the American Centrifuge demo at […]

EnergySolutions, of Salt Lake City, will clean up and package radioactive waste from the canceled American Centrifuge uranium enrichment demonstration in Piketon, Ohio, according to a document published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The work will be done for Centrus Energy Corp., which was the Energy Department’s prime contractor on the American Centrifuge demo at […]

Unprecedented shipments of liquid highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Canada to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina will begin this spring, now that the 60-day window has closed to appeal a judge’s decision allowing the Energy Department transports. Groups that had sued against the shipments decided against appealing the directive. Judge Tanya Chutkan, of U.S. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet virtually with Centrus Energy Corp. on April 24 to discuss the results of a year’s worth of oversight at the now-defunct American Centrifuge uranium enrichment demonstration in Ohio. The Energy Department in 2015 canceled the industrial-scale uranium enrichment demonstration at the Portsmouth Site near Piketon, Ohio. The NRC, which regulates […]

The Energy Department should cease funding cleanup of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio with bartered uranium, a Washington-based trade group for the nuclear power industry said last week. Further funding for cleanup of DOE facilities should be provided fully through congressional appropriations, so as not to disrupt uranium markets, Nuclear Energy Institute Fuel Cycle Programs Director […]

It was not clear this week how a Canadian company’s multibillion-dollar offer to acquire engineering giant Atkins would affect the company’s work on the Energy Department’s legacy nuclear cleanup operations. The companies on Monday confirmed they were in talks for SNC-Lavalin Group of Montreal to acquire London-based Atkins for about $3.5 billion. The transaction would include […]

The next technical services contract at the Energy Department’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office in Lexington, Ky., is a five-year deal, including options, that has been set aside for eligible small-businesses, according to the draft solicitation the agency released recently. The contract is a follow-on to the roughly $50-million Portsmouth Environmental Technical Services contract held by Restoration […]

It was not clear Wednesday how a Canadian company’s multibillion-dollar offer to acquire engineering giant Atkins would affect the company’s work on the Energy Department’s legacy nuclear cleanup operations. SNC-Lavalin Group of Montreal on Monday confirmed it had offered some $3.5 billion to buy London-based Atkins. The company has a presence, among other places, at […]

The next technical services contract at the Energy Department’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office in Lexington, Ky., is a five-year deal, including options, that has been set aside for eligible small-businesses, according to the draft solicitation the agency released recently. The contract is a follow-on to the roughly $50-million Portsmouth Environmental Technical Services contract held by Restoration […]

Medical isotopes producer and radiological services specialist International Isotopes on Friday reported a $1.88 million net loss for 2016, up 3 percent from the $1.82 million loss it logged the year before. That slight uptick resulted largely from a roughly 7 percent year-over-year revenue drop, to $6.55 million, along with higher operating expenses, the company […]

Centrus Energy Corp. will shave a full year off its schedule for tearing down the canceled American Centrifuge advanced uranium enrichment technology demonstration in Ohio by starting the work sooner, a company spokesperson said Friday. “Our revised plan increases the packaging and shipping work being performed in the near term,” the Centrus spokesperson wrote in […]

Nearly a year after he made it, the Energy Department shot down a request from the mayor of Piketon, Ohio, to fund a third-party review of thousands of pages of documents that informed the agency’s decision to dispose of waste from uranium-enrichment cleanup at the Portsmouth Site at the facility. Piketon Mayor Billy Spencer lodged […]

Westinghouse Electric Co., the U.S. nuclear arm of financially imploding Japanese conglomerate Toshiba, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, raising questions about the storied company’s staying-power in the nuclear decommissioning business even as it pledged continuity of operations during the reorganization. “We are focused on developing a plan of reorganization to emerge from Chapter 11 […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still reviewing Centrus Energy Corp.’s plans to ship radioactive waste from the canceled American Centrifuge plant in Piketon, Ohio, to the Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site, throwing a wrench into the company’s plan to start moving waste by the end of March. Centrus has also managed to lop a […]

Nearly a year after he made it, the Energy Department shot down a request from the mayor of Piketon, Ohio, to fund a third-party review of thousands of pages of documents that informed the agency’s decision to dispose of waste from uranium-enrichment cleanup at the Portsmouth Site at the facility. Piketon Mayor Billy Spencer lodged […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still reviewing Centrus Energy Corp.’s plans to ship radioactive waste from the canceled American Centrifuge plant in Piketon, Ohio, to the Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site, throwing a wrench into the company’s plan to start moving waste by the end of March. Centrus filed its waste transportation plan with […]