Vol. 18, No. 25 
New York plans 1,000-megawatt advanced nuclear plant
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Safety remains NRC’s top priority Wright tells Senate panel
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,” […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Nuclear companies briefed on DOE pilot program at Industry Day
The Department of Energy set out the basics of its test reactor pilot program at its 2025 Industry Day on Wednesday. On June 18 DOE announced a test pilot program to expedite testing advanced nuclear reactors under DOE authority, with the objective to have “at least three reactors” reach criticality by July 4, 2026. DOE […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Holtec considers becoming publicly-traded company
Holtec International, known for decommissioning reactors and developing nuclear power projects, could become a publicly-traded company within the next year. In a Monday interview with Barrons, Holtec CEO Kris Singh said the company was looking at an initial public offering sometime in the January through April 2026 time period, a Holtec spokesperson confirmed Wednesday via […]
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Recommissioning & Restarts
DOE issues fourth loan reimbursement for Palisades restart
The Department of Energy has released its fourth loan reimbursement to Holtec for about $100 million to support efforts to restart the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright made the announcement this past Friday, saying that the efforts to restart the Palisades plant further align with one of President Donald Trump’s […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Former NRC staff members criticize Trump’s firing of Hanson
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 […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
TerraPower raises $650 million for new projects
TerraPower recently raised $650 million for new nuclear projects, the company said in a press release. The Bellevue, Wash. advanced nuclear technology company raised the money from both new and current investors. The venture capital arm of multinational technology company NVIDIA and NVentures contributed as the new investors. Current investors Microsoft co-founder and TerraPower founder […]
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Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
Holtec praises high court ruling, but hurdles remain for N.M. spent fuel project
The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority to license consolidated interim storage, clears the way for Holtec to move forward on a spent fuel storage site in New Mexico, according to the company. At the same time, however, Holtec said last week major issues remain to be worked out both […]
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National Laboratories
INL performs high burnup fuel safety test
The Idaho National Laboratory has concluded a first-of-a-kind safety experiment with high burnup fuel the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy announced this week. Test results should provide data that could help boost performance and lower the amount of waste generated at nuclear plants, the Office of Nuclear Energy said in its Tuesday press […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
NRC policies seek to streamline microreactor deployment
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 […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Round Up: NRC cuts advanced reactor fees; Orano, NRD, enter into a partnership; Amentum to study nuclear energy in Norway; more
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. […]