Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

ROCKVILLE, Md. – With the completion of the Department of Energy’s reactor pilot program on July 4, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission turns its attention to creating a formulaic pathway for reactor designs authorized by other agencies. In April, NRC published a proposed rulemaking that would create an additional licensing pathway for reactors authorized by DOE […]

The White House said in a July 16 statement that it “strongly supports the immediate passage” of the House of Representatives budget resolution for a third reconciliation bill, which includes $60 billion for defense.  “This budget resolution is a crucial first step in allowing congressional Republicans to quickly pass a budget reconciliation bill that protects […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Materials that used to be considered purely radioactive waste are increasingly being recycled into usable products for everything from medical treatments to advanced nuclear reactors, federal officials said last week. That was the word July 15 from the Department of Energy’s Under-Secretary for Science Dario Gil along with DOE Environmental Management (EM) […]

An updated plan for the Savannah River Site liquid waste mission pushes completion out to 2041 although 2037 is still possible, but would require increases in federal funding, according to environmental contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC).  Steve Howell, a senior vice president for the contractor, said Tuesday during an SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) […]

It might be a tough week for those who work outside this week at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site near Richland, Wash., as daily high temperatures are expected to hover around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The National Weather Service has an extreme heat watch in effect from Tuesday through Thursday, according to Weather.gov. After a […]

The Department of Energy plans to formally announce its selections for the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus program later this month and the states of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah could be winners, a senior industry source told Exchange Monitor Monday. When reached Monday a DOE Office of Nuclear Energy spokesperson would not comment on what states […]

For now at least, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has suspended publication of many of the congressional watchdog’s routine reports on safety and operations at Department of Energy nuclear sites.   “The DNFSB is not currently posting technical documents, such as resident inspector weekly, site monthly and other technical reports, while the board works […]

An article in the July 17 Morning Briefing [DOE still restricting access to DNFSB, board says] should have also reported enabling legislation for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board also gives it access to Department of Energy facilities, personnel and information.

Standard Nuclear is a publicly traded company after announcing its initial public offering (IPO) late last week. The company started trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “STDN” on July 16 and closed the offering the next day, according to a press release. The Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based advanced nuclear fuel manufacturer […]

The nuclear fusion industry enjoyed a big increase in funding this year, despite most fusion technologies not being ready to deliver commercial electricity until the 2030s, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) said in a report. In the FIA’s 2026 Global Fusion Industry report, published July 13, the non-profit organization said the industry received $4.4 billion […]

Amentum has been selected by the Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to negotiate a lease for a data center at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the organizations said Monday. NNSA picked Amentum to enter into “phased” lease negotiations for a data center and accompanying on-site generation, NNSA and Chantilly, […]

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced plans Thursday for two new supercomputers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The Mission and Vision supercomputers will be built by Hewlett Packard Enterprise and powered by the NVIDIA Vera Rubin platform, NNSA said in a press release.  The Mission and Vision […]

The BWX Technologies-led prime cleanup contractor for the West Valley Demonstration Project near Buffalo, N.Y., is holding an industry day July 30 for vendors that have expressed an interest in the Secant Pile Wall construction project. West Valley Cleanup Alliance (WVCA) recently issued a request for information (RFI) for subcontractors interested in doing the work […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted Constellation Energy’s subsequent license renewal application for R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, N.Y. for review July 16.  The subsequent license renewal, which comes after an initial license renewal,  would extend Ginna’s operating license for another 20 years, from 60 years to 80. Ginna’s current operating license is set […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will host a meeting July 21 at 9 a.m. in Rockville, Md. to discuss the licensing and regulatory needs for advanced reactors with several industry members. The public meeting will be held at the commission hearing room on the first floor of NRC’s headquarters in Rockville. Notably, Department of Energy Assistant […]

Blue Energy, a developer of what it calls “prefabricated” nuclear power plants, received a strategic equity investment from Constellation Energy’s venture arm Constellation Technology Ventures, the company said July 16. Blue Energy, founded in 2023, said in a press release that the investment from Constellation shows growing confidence in the company’s strategy to use shipyard […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  JULY  21: NRC Meeting: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission meets with outside experts starting at 9 a.m. at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md., to discuss development of advanced reactors.  21: Meeting: The Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board meets starting at 9 a.m. […]

The Department of Energy is still being very tight-fisted when it comes to sharing information with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB said in a recent letter to Congress. In addition, the congressionally-created safety watchdog said in its July 10 letter that DOE is not living up to the terms of a  2022 memorandum […]

Companies Curio Energy, and Sargent & Lundy, have partnered up to begin the engineering and facility design process for Curio’s NuCycle nuclear fuel recycling facility. Washington, D.C.-based fuel recycling company Curio said in a Tuesday press release the engineering work done with Sargent and Lundy would create the engineering foundational basis needed to support its […]

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Wednesday found the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has not fully assessed the workforce and programmatic resources needed to support planned investments in the scientific infrastructure underpinning U.S. stockpile stewardship. The report recommends that NNSA conduct a comprehensive assessment of its long-term science, technology and engineering workforce and […]

A new study by Princeton University researchers argues that the National Nuclear Security Administration’s analysis underestimates the geographic and health impacts of any potential severe plutonium fire at pit production facilities. The peer-reviewed study, published in Science & Global Security, examines hypothetical plutonium fire scenarios at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has authorized startup of the Calciner Project at Y-12 National Security Complex, adding another modernized uranium processing capability. The calciner converts uranium-bearing liquid solutions from pipes and process equipment into a stable solid form for storage, allowing radioactive material to be removed from legacy facilities and supporting the eventual […]

After a year of floating around the idea of going public, Holtec International officially filed its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to start the process. The Form S-1, which is required by the SEC for domestic companies to submit to offer public offerings, was on July 10, but has not become […]

While advocates are thankful Congress expanded the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 2025, they said Tuesday last year’s action did not go far enough. As a result, James Moylan (R-Guam), a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and other House members representing atomic veterans and downwinders, plan to propose another RECA expansion […]

The procurement process to add at least 1,100 megawatts of new nuclear energy in the state of New Jersey has begun after Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) signed a bill Monday. The bill, Power NJ Act, creates a competitive bid process by state agencies to analyze proposals to ensure ratepayers get the best value, Sherrill said […]

Mission Support and Test Services (MSTS), prime contractor for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), issued a request for information and expression of interest to help develop procurement strategy for fire suppression system services. The pre-solicitation notice seeks industry feedback to help shape a future contract supporting the full life […]