Vol. 19, No. 31 
NextEra, Dominion merger should close in late 2027
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Oklo’s Groves becomes fifth unit to hit criticality in DOE reactor program
Oklo’s Groves isotope test reactor achieved zero-powered criticality late Wednesday, making it the fifth reactor under a Department of Energy reactor initiative to reach that milestone. The completed criticality test comes after DOE approved Oklo’s nuclear startup authorization last month. Oklo said in a Thursday press release that the Groves isotope test reactor achieved criticality […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Westinghouse, Amentum to collaborate, build out more AP1000, AP300 reactors
Westinghouse and Amentum signed a series of agreements aimed at advancing fleet-scale deployment of Westinghouse’s reactor technologies, the companies said Tuesday. According to Westinghouse’s press release, the agreements enable the two companies to work together to develop Westinghouse’s large-scale reactor, AP1000, and small modular reactor (SMR), AP300. Westinghouse’s APX strategy will focus on near-term global […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
TVA sees in quarterly revenue; utility to prioritize nuclear energy under interim CEO
Earnings rose at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Knoxville, Tenn., in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 which the federal utility attributed to “higher fuel cost recovery rates and higher sales volume,” according to a Tuesday press release. The net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 ended June 30 was $307 million, up from […]
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Recommissioning & Restarts
NRC finds no significant environmental harm in Duane Arnold’s restart
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Monday issued a draft environmental assessment (EA) finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for NextEra Energy’s Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa. With the issuance of the draft environmental documents, NRC is also seeking public input, according to the Federal Register notice. The comment period closes on Sept. 2. According to […]
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Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
DOE public engagement on nuclear waste vital, coalition says
The Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition (NWSC) commended the Department of Energy’s initial selections for its Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus initiative, but still wants the agency to do more to ensure that a permanent repository can be secured. On July 28, DOE announced that Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah were on a shortlist of states […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Nuclear startup Valar Atomics raises $1 billion
California-based microreactor developer Valar Atomics raised $1 billion in a Series B financing round led by Sequoia Capital, the company said Tuesday. Additionally, the nuclear startup secured a $200 million credit facility and added Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire to its board of directors, according to Valar’s press release. Valar is developing the Ward 250, a […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Holtec, Entergy and HDEC to explore SMR development along Gulf Coast
Holtec International, Hyundai Engineering & Construction (HDEC) and Entergy have agreed to jointly explore building Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactors along the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The three companies look to establish a framework to analyze customer demand and potential sites for the SMR-300 reactor, according to Holtec’s Tuesday press […]
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Budget & Policy
Senate seeks to extend government operations through Dec. 11 with latest CR
The Senate Appropriations Committee is working on a framework for a stopgap funding resolution to keep the federal government through Dec. 11 and the full Senate was expected to vote on it sometime Friday. The government’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. Unless a bill codifies that funding is rolled over into the next fiscal […]
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Reactor Licensing & Regulation
NRC webinar to provide more color on proposed ALARA changes
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is hosting a webinar Aug. 10 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss a recent rulemaking that touches on changes to its radiation protection standards. The webinar will be held via Microsoft Teams and will have a question and answer session within it, according to NRC’s July 28 […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
CFS raises $1 billion in most recent funding round
Devens, Mass.-based fusion company Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) raised $1 billion in additional equity funding, the company said July 30. CFS said in a press release the $1 billion financing round is the largest a fusion company has had since 2021 when CFS had a $1.8 billion Series B round then. This recent funding builds […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Round Up: TRISO-X expands Oak Ridge campus; Dominion seeks to extend North Anna ESP; SHINE selected for two Genesis Mission projects
X-energy’s subsidiary TRISO-X acquired an additional 70 acres adjacent to its nuclear fuel campus in Oak Ridge, Tenn. this week. X-energy said Tuesday in a press release that this acquisition brings the total campus size to 180 acres. This purchase of land comes a few weeks after the Tennessee state government awarded X-energy $11 million […]
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News & Analysis
Publication notice:
Exchange Monitor is entering its annual August break that occurs while Congress is in recess. As a result, Radwaste & Materials Monitor will not be published on Friday Aug. 14 and Friday Aug. 21. The normal weekly publication schedule will resume on Friday Aug. 28. News folks will still be on duty during the break […]