Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

The Washington state Department of Ecology is extending the public comment period on the sitewide Dangerous Waste Permit for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site until Jan. 15, 2027, the state announced this week. The prior comment deadline was Oct. 27. The draft renewal document is known as Revision 9A. The last big revision occurred […]

Oklo will continue to pursue its Groves isotope production facility project under the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Launch Pad initiative, the company said Tuesday. The Groves isotope production facility, referred to as Groves-2 Forge, will include “capabilities to produce, process and purify critical isotopes”, according to Oklo’s press release. Oklo said it wants to […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has awarded a nearly $3 million contract to renovate part of its Albuquerque headquarters into a secure space, according to a federal procurement notice. NNSA awarded QA Engineering $2.99 million Sept. 28 for design-build construction to renovate a limited area of the John A. Gordon Complex and convert it […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch said Tuesday it has now reduced its inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride DUF6 cylinders at the Porstmouth Site in Ohio by 20%. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced Tuesday its AtkinsRéalis-led contractor Mission Conversion Services Alliance (MCSA) has converted DUF6 from 4,500 cylinders at Portsmouth, into a safe […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Monday to collaborate on using advanced nuclear technology for maritime purposes.  According to ABS’ press release, the MOU explores technologies ranging from “floating power solutions, nuclear-powered vessels and the development of the ports, shipyards […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Army’s Janus nuclear power program could support the military’s broader energy resilience goals under the Donald Trump administration’s “Fortress America” initiative, though officials said the effort will encompass multiple energy technologies. “Fortress America” – which stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply and Survivability – is a national […]

With the Department of Energy still mulling its contenders for the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus program, Oklahoma officials recently shared more details of its proposal as it pushes to be selected as a host state. According to a September presentation, Oklahoma’s campus would consist of Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse reactors, an isotope production facility, multiple fuel […]

The Department of Energy said last month it is launching a solicitation for a new management contract for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The current contract will expire on Sept. 30, 2027, the DOE Office of Science said in a “notice of intent to […]

Polish company Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) has authorized Westinghouse to start procuring long-lead reactor components for its first AP1000 reactor in Choczewo, Poland. According to Westinghouse’s Oct. 8 press release, this order would cover six of the plant’s reactor components, which include the reactor containment along with its related structural modules. PEJ and Westinghouse expect […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on Fermi America’s draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for Units 1 – 4 of its Project Matador based in Carson County, Texas. Comments for the draft EIS for the Texas project are due by Nov. 23. According to NRC’s Oct. 9 Federal Register notice, the agency staff […]

The Department of Energy Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., has now converted 250,000 gallons of less radioactive tank waste into solid glass form. In September, over 39,000 gallons were vitrified into glass form at the WTP’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Facility, Bechtel National, which built the plant, […]

General Dynamics (GD) on Wednesday announced Danny Deep will be the company’s next CEO effective Jan. 1, 2027, succeeding Phebe Novakovic, who has been the company’s top executive and chairman since January 2013. Deep has been president of GD since December 2025 and was elected to the company’s board in August. Novakovic will become executive […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management last month marked the 20th anniversary of final remediation of the Fernald Site, a former uranium processing facility 20 miles outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Over 250 people turned out for a Sept. 19 commemoration of the Cold War nuclear site that operated from 1951 until 1986 when […]

NATO will proceed with its annual nuclear deterrence exercise this week despite recent Russian warnings that it could use nuclear weapons if its territory, including Kaliningrad, comes under threat. The 10-day, now declassified Steadfast Noon exercise is scheduled to begin Oct. 13 and will be hosted by Italy, with aircraft from 17 North Atlantic Treaty […]

The Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) will hold its annual conference in Washington, D.C.,  Oct. 12-14 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The event arrives as the Army is currently without Senate-confirmed top leadership, with both Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle and Army Vice Chief Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who is also currently the […]

The U.S. and China are discussing reciprocal visits to each other’s nuclear facilities, a potential transparency measure as Washington raises concerns about Beijing’s nuclear activities. The Donald Trump administration has held talks with Chinese officials about allowing each country to visit nuclear facilities operated by the other, the Washington Times reported Oct. 8, citing U.S. […]

Urenco USA completed the installation of its sixth new cascade at the National Enrichment Facility in New Mexico, hitting the 75% completion mark in its enrichment expansion plan.  Urenco USA, an affiliate of the European company Urenco, said in a press release the production of the sixth cascade began Oct. 8. The company expects to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received the first part of Blue Energy’s construction permit application to build a BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Texas, NRC said last week. According to NRC’s Oct. 8 Federal Register notice, Blue Energy filed the application on Sept. 15, with a limited work authorization to perform certain early construction work […]

A full week into fiscal 2027, the Department of Energy had still not appointed members for the newly-configured Hanford Advisory Board. A DOE spokesperson said late Thursday Oct. 8 that the new members of the citizen advisory board for the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., have yet to be finalized. DOE had previously targeted Oct. […]

Leidos, the Reston, VA.-based government contractor, has tapped Stephen Vather to be its new senior vice president of investor relations. Vather comes to Leidos from Leonardo DRS, where he was senior vice president of corporate development and investor relations, Leidos said in an Oct. 6 press release. Vather will take over from the retiring Stuart […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  OCTOBER: 13: Virtual Forum: ANWA Deterrence Center Forum on “Modernizing the Nation’s Strategic Nuclear Deterrence: The Strategic Role of Golden Dome” at 3-4:30 p.m. Eastern time. 14: Hybrid meeting: The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board meets starting at 6 p.m. Eastern […]

The Department of Energy’s final request for proposals (RFP) for operation of the 70,000-square-foot 222-S Laboratory at the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., could be out this month, DOE said in a recent procurement update. That projection, shared Sept. 29 on the online procurement site, SAM.gov, is consistent with the timeline posted by the DOE […]

The United States Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) appointed Michael Janicke to be its executive director effective Monday, the independent federal agency said. Janicke takes over as the official head of the NWTRB almost a year after the former executive director Daniel Ogg retired from the position in December 2025. Neysa Slater-Chandler was the […]

The Navy awarded more than $170 million in Trident II D5-related contracts Oct. 1, extending flight-test, missile operations, rocket motor storage and other support as the Columbia-class submarine program moves toward service entry. The largest award, a $46.85 million contract to L3Harris Technologies’ Interstate Electronics Corp., covers engineering, logistics, installation, operation, maintenance and modification of […]

If you are in the mood to travel back in time more than a half century and watch government-made black-and-white films designed to make the public feel better about nuclear technology, the Department of Energy can fill that need online. DOE’s Office of Legacy Management recently announced it is offering films from the Atomic Energy […]

Berkeley, Calif.-based Deep Isolation was issued a drilling permit by a Texas state agency for its full-scale, non-nuclear borehole demonstration project in Cameron, Texas, the company said Oct. 1. The Texas Railroad Commission issued the permit. With this regulatory approval, Deep Isolation said in its press release, the borehole disposal pilot project can move from […]

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman have broken ground on a new B-21 Raider final assembly line in Palmdale, Calif., putting a previously announced effort to accelerate bomber production into construction. The new assembly line at Air Force Plant 42 is part of over a million square feet of planned facilities expected to increase annual […]