Vol. 18, No. 24 
High court finds Texas, Fasken not eligible to challenge NRC license for ISP
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Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
Insiders react to Supreme Court’s interim waste storage decision
Interest groups and nuclear policy insiders have started to weigh in on a Wednesday decision by the U.S. Supreme Court effectively upholding a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license for a private interim waste storage facility in Texas. When asked for a comment the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) simply said via email: “The Supreme Court decision upholds […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
NRC Commissioner Hanson terminated by President Trump
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 […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Trump nominates NRC chair Wright for another term
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 […]
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National Laboratories
DOE unveils pilot program to test advanced nuclear projects
The Department of Energy has announced a new pilot program to expedite the testing of advanced nuclear reactor designs at DOE’s national laboratories. The DOE intends to streamline the nuclear reactor testing and hopes to have “at least three reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026,” according to its Wednesday press release. Created in accordance […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Triso-X targeting December 2027 for startup of Oak Ridge plant
SAVANNAH, GA. — Triso-X is targeting Dec. 6, 2027, for production of its first “pebble” of fabricated nuclear fuel at its facility located on land formerly owned by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, a company executive told a conference here Thursday. The 215,000-square-foot fuel fabrication facility, called TX-1, will employ about […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
NRC to review X-Energy’s construction application within 18 months
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 […]
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National Laboratories
Atomic Alchemy begins site characterization work at INL
Oklo’s subsidiary Atomic Alchemy has begun site characterization work for a potential radioisotope production facility at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. The Santa Clara, Calif. based advanced nuclear technology company Oklo made the announcement in a Tuesday press release. Its subsidiary, Atomic Alchemy, is based in Idaho Falls, Idaho and focuses on providing […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Gavrilas to retire from NRC this month
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 […]
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National Laboratories
Round Up: DOE extends HALEU contract with Centrus; DOE sets out schedule for high burnup cask transport; Rick Perry to Nano board
Centrus Energy, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., has been awarded an extended contract with the Department of Energy, worth about $110 million, to produce high-assay low-enriched uranium through June 30, 2026. In 2022, Centrus was awarded a three-phase follow-on contract to bring the cascade into production and produce HALEU for DOE’s use. DOE has exercised its […]