Vol. 18, No. 47 
Senate confirms Weaver to fill final vacancy on NRC panel
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Bicameral bill seeks to codify DOE office for fusion
Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation this week to formally establish the Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy. The bill comes a month after DOE released reorganization plans for its agency and included an Office of Fusion. The legislation looks to codify DOE’s plans and “urge DOE to move […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
EnergySolutions, Creekstone look at nuclear power for data centers
EnergySolutions and another Utah-based company, Creekstone Energy, have teamed up to explore nuclear power options for data centers, the companies said last week. Creekstone and EnergySolutions said in a Dec. 11 press release they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore advanced nuclear options at the Utah Creekstone Gigasite in Delta, Utah and […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
NRC renews licenses for Constellation’s Clinton, Dresden power plants
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has extended the operating licenses by 20-years for three reactors in Illinois. NRC extended Constellation Energy’s Clinton Clean Energy Center’s Unit 1 in Clinton, Ill. and Dresden Clean Energy Center’s Units 2 and 3 near Morris, Ill., according to NRC’s Tuesday press release. Clinton Unit 1’s boiling water reactor license […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Diablo Canyon clears major licensing hurdle with state approval
The license extension request for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant recently received a key approval from a California state agency. On Dec. 11, the California Coastal Commission voted 9-to-3 to allow Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) Diablo Canyon permission to continue running through 2030. Along with the approval, PG&E must take substantial measures mitigating the […]
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Defense & Military
UCAN report urges closer role between Pentagon, nuclear industry
A recent report by the United Coalition for Advanced Nuclear Power (UCAN Power) says America’s commercial power industry will benefit from the Pentagon’s growing role in nuclear technology. The report drafted in November outlines “34 tangible recommendations” that the Department of Defense (DoD), or as the White House calls it the Department of War (DOW), […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Urenco USA expands advanced nuclear fuel capacity at N.M. plant
Urenco USA has completed its first production of low enriched uranium plus (LEU-plus) and installed its third cascade of centrifuges for the advanced fuel at its New Mexico uranium enrichment plant, the company said this week. “In 2025, we have delivered on our plans to launch a new advanced fuels capability and to install new […]
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Commercial Low-Level Waste
Coalition urges regional compact to reject imported radwaste from Ontario
A coalition of 88 citizen groups critical of nuclear energy are asking a regional authority for the Northwest to reject a plan by EnergySolutions to import up to 1.3 million cubic yards of low-level radioactive waste from Ontario, Canada to the company’s disposal site in Clive, Utah. The groups, including Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Natura Resources to pursue DOE authorization under reactor pilot program
Natura Resources has signed an agreement to collaborate with the Department of Energy under the DOE reactor pilot program, Natura said this week. The goal of the DOE program is to have at least three demonstration reactors reach criticality by July 4, 2026. Natura is one of 10 companies selected for the program. It is […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
NRC extends TVA’s Browns Ferry license by 20 years
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 […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
Round Up: Trump signs fiscal 2026 NDAA; Newhouse not seeking reelection; NRC approves SHINE facility construction permit extension; UK NDA begins plutonium disposal program
President Donald Trump Thursday signed the $901 billion 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law that would allow nearly $26 billion in funding to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). That is the highest authorization limit yet for the agency in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, and $100 million more than […]