Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) completed the certification, or “diamond stamping,” of all planned canned subassemblies for the B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb this fiscal year, according to a Wednesday agency press release. NNSA also said in the release it certified the canned subassemblies, or the secondary stage of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, at Y-12 […]

The prototype reactor canister for Deep Fission’s Gravity reactor arrived at the company’s Parsons, Kan. site on Tuesday, which the company said marks a milestone in its “Proof-of-Concept Well” program and development of its Gravity reactor. Berkeley, Calif.-based Deep Fission said in a press release the factory-built prototype canister completed fabrication, hydrostatic testing and was […]

Centrus Energy will join the S&P SmallCap 600 Index before markets open July 14, a move the company said reflects its growing role in rebuilding the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain and expanding domestic uranium enrichment capacity. “Our invitation into the S&P SmallCap 600 reflects the progress our team has made and the expanding role […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed a new rulemaking Tuesday revising how the agency intends to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) standards. Under the proposed rule, the agency is seeking to streamline and change Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 51 – or 10 CFR Part 51 regulations to “alleviate unnecessary regulatory burden, […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state continues to prepare to ship transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico and could start sending drums there within a year, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) update. In a DNFSB resident inspector report for the week ended […]

The United States nearly doubled its uranium production last year from its 2024 total as the country’s renewed interest in nuclear power continues to materialize. In the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Domestic Uranium Production Report, published June 23, the U.S. uranium mines produced 1.38 million pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8) in 2025. This was […]

Aleut Government Services has been awarded a $6.2-million contract by the Department of Energy Office of Science for administrative and business support services at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. The award notice was posted online July 6. Aleut Government Services business address is listed as Colorado Springs, Colo., according to the notice. Aleut Government […]

A coalition of watchdog organizations is pressing the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to release three documents it argues are essential to public review of the agency’s draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for expanded plutonium pit production. The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) – which is representing Savannah River Site Watch, Tri-Valley CAREs […]

Numerous changes are coming to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s reactor licensing as the agency proposed an overhaul of regulatory modifications to modernize its procedures, it said last week. NRC said in a July 1 press release that these changes will modernize reactor licensing, oversight and siting practices of nuclear power plants. These sweeping changes were […]

The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) latest report of major defense acquisition programs found that while several nuclear modernization efforts continue to advance through development and testing, the Sentinel program remains burdened by significant cost, schedule and design challenges. In its annual review of weapon systems released last week, GAO said the Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental […]

The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch agrees with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that DOE should not rush into costly infrastructure projects before doing more research up front. By the end of 2026, the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) will look to implement two GAO recommendations in a recently-released report, the head of […]

BWX Technologies (BWXT) completed its acquisition of Precision Components Group (PCG), finalizing a deal first announced in April that aims to expand the company’s U.S. heavy-manufacturing capacity for commercial nuclear components, according to a company press release Monday. PCG, which includes subsidiaries Precision Custom Components and DC Fabricators, manufactures heat-transfer components for the commercial sector, […]

Austin, Texas-based Aalo Atomics’s test reactor Aalo-X reached zero-power criticality over the weekend, making it the fourth reactor to hit this milestone by the July 4 target deadline. The Department of Energy said in a Monday press release that Aalo’s sodium-cooled reactor achieved criticality on Saturday morning at its Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Aalo previously […]

The Department of Energy and its prime contractor for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) will hold a community meeting  next month in Hobbs, N.M. The meeting by DOE and Becthel-led contractor Salado Isolation Mining Contractors is scheduled for Wednesday Aug. 5 starting at 3 p.m. Mountain Time at Hobbs City Hall, according to a […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  June JULY  15: Meeting: House Cleanup Caucus event begins at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time in Rooms 2043 and 2044 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.  August: 02: Conference: The Women in Nuclear Conference kicks off in Seattle, Wash.  05: […]

The Department of Energy expects its artificial intelligence-focused Genesis Mission to double productivity of the nation’s research and development (R&D) enterprise over the next decade, Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil said during an Amazon Web Services event. “Ultimately, we seek to double the productivity and impact of America’s trillion-dollar-a-year R&D engine within a decade,” […]

Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are investigating a June 15 furnace fire inside a glovebox at the laboratory’s plutonium facility after operators observed smoke and flames during recovery and purification operations. The incident prompted an emergency response but caused no injuries, radiological release or damage beyond the affected equipment, according to […]

The Department of Energy briefed residents in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state last month on its plans to expand upon its Tank-Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) technology at the Hanford Site. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management provided a public briefing June 17 at the Richland, Wash., public library on plans to “bring existing modular cesium […]

Holtec International has completed major projects at the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan and has transitioned to the remaining routine maintenance and testing readiness work required before restarting operations. According to Holtec’s July 2 press release, major projects completed during this phase include placement of the plant’s turbine generator “on turning gear” and installation […]

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s latest rulemaking on radiation safety protection has weakened the government’s “long-standing radiation protection standards for workers, the public and the environment.”  On July 1, NRC released the proposed new rulemaking that will do away with the “as low as reasonably achievable” – or ALARA […]

Parties interested in learning more about the draft request for proposals (RFP) for the 222-S Laboratory management contract at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., should sign up by Tuesday July 7 for a site tour and information sessions later this month. The department will hold a Hanford Site tour on Tuesday […]

SANTA FE, N.M — State regulators and Department of Energy managers last week presented competing views on how to remedy a decades-old hexavalent chromium plume beneath and beyond the Los Alamos National Laboratory during a New Mexico Environment Department public meeting on ongoing efforts. The plume, linked to old power plant operations at Los Alamos […]

Exchange Monitor Publications parent company Access Intelligence will be closed on Friday July 3 in observance of the Independence Day holiday, which falls on Saturday, July 4. As a result our weekly publications will post before close of business on Thursday July 3 and there will be no Weapons Complex Morning Briefing posted that day. […]

The Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) at the Idaho National Laboratory has solidified about 400,000 gallons of radioactive sodium-bearing waste, the Department of Energy said Tuesday. During the current processing run, crews have used the IWTU to treat 130,000 gallons of the liquid waste held at Idaho National Laboratory, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) […]

Arizona Public Service and two other Arizona-based utilities have begun their preliminary siting study that would explore opportunities for additional nuclear power in Arizona. The study will use a phased screening methodology to narrow down locations in the state to a short list of possible sites and soon to the selection of a preferred site, […]

Crews at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York have torn down a ventilation system building and will prepare to dismantle the Fuel Receiving and Storage Facility, the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management said last week. The recently-demolished Replacement Ventilation Unit was only built in the mid-2010s after crews deactivated the shuttered […]