Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

The Australian government early this month announced a strategic contract setting up an industry partnership that will potentially see Australian battery technology used in the SSN-AUKUS submarine design.  The Australian-based PMB Defense is partnering with the United Kingdom’s BAE Systems in contracts worth over $34 million to enable potential integration of its advanced nickel zinc […]

President Donald Trump’s White House statements during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent visit confirmed Trump supports advancing AUKUS, regardless of an ongoing Department of Defense review, a DoD nominee said last week.  Austin Dahmer, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities, made these comments during his testimony to the […]

Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), the Department of Energy’s operations contractor for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is on the lookout for potential office space around Idaho Falls, according to an online procurement notice. As it kicks off its market research, the prime contractor is asking for expressions of interest (EOI) from providers capable of leasing […]

While the federal government might reopen soon, a regular meeting of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens Advisory Board in South Carolina scheduled for next week has been called off. The SRS Citizens Advisory Board was to meet next Tuesday, Nov. 18 at the new Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative center at the University […]

The full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Ho Nieh to be a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Nov. 18. The Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the Senate Cloakroom’s Monday post on X. If confirmed, Nieh […]

The Senate late Monday voted 60-40 to open the government with a spending package that would fund the government until Jan. 30 sans the extension of health care subsidies Democrats were fighting for. As early as 4 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, the House will vote on the same spending package, according to a notice by […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To meet rising energy demands, the United States needs to prioritize building large nuclear reactors, several federal officials said during the American Nuclear Society conference Monday. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) said during various panel discussions that small modular reactors will […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  (With the federal shutdown still in effect at press time it is advisable to double-check with sponsors to see if government-related speakers/events are still scheduled. ) November  09 – 12 – American Nuclear Society (ANS) 2025 Winter Conference and Expo in Washington […]

Beyond Nuclear has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license that could allow Holtec International to develop a waste storage site in New Mexico, although Holtec says it no longer plans to do so. Beyond Nuclear has filed what is known as a writ of certiorari and asked the […]

Rather than a test silo, the Air Force will use a launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., for the first flight test of an unarmed LGM-35A Sentinel missile by Northrop Grumman. “The first flight test was moved to a pad launch to allow for a more incremental approach to flight testing,” the Air […]

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who has Nevada National Security Site in her state, joined six other Democrats and one Independent Sunday in advancing a continuing resolution to fund the government until Jan. 30, 2026.  “For the last 40 days, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail to hold President [Donald] Trump and my Republican colleagues accountable […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One or two advanced reactor pilot projects should reach criticality by next July Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said here Monday at the American Nuclear Society conference. In June, the Department of Energy, sparked by President Donald Trump’s May 23 executive orders, created an advanced nuclear reactor pilot program. Under the program, […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Republican chairs of Senate and House Appropriations subcommittees for Energy and Water expect to hold a conference meeting in late January to blend their two versions of a fiscal 2026 spending plan, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), said  Monday. Fleischmann, the chair of the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee, said he and […]

Tim Walsh, the new head of the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management, made his first visit to DOE’s largest nuclear cleanup site last week, a Washington state newspaper reported. With little fanfare, Walsh, assistant secretary for Environmental Management (EM), visited the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash., according to a Nov. 5 article […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published a supplemental environmental impact statement on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)’s proposed reactor project adjacent to the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. NRC, together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, seek public comment on a draft supplemental environmental impact statement, or supplemental EIS, on […]

Due to the Veterans Day holiday next week, the next edition of Weapons Complex Morning Briefing will be Tuesday Nov. 11.   

Due to the ongoing government shutdown, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) is postponing its Nov. 13 public meeting scheduled for Arlington, Va. A new date is yet to be determined but it will be after January 2026, a spokesperson for NWTRB said via email Wednesday afternoon.  When the new date and venue are […]

Brendan Rogers, nominated to be assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, promoted small modular reactors (SMRs) as a viable option to power military installations at a Senate nomination hearing last week. Rogers, among other Department of Defense nominees, Marc Berkowitz, James Caggy and Joseph Jewell, testified before the Senate Armed Services […]

Saskatchewan, Canada-based uranium producer Cameco reported Wednesday mixed financial results for the third quarter, ended Sept. 30. Net earnings for the third quarter were (CAN) $32 million (US $22.6 million), or (CAN) $0.07 a share, up from $24 million (US $17 million), or (CAN) $0.06 a share, in the year-ago quarter.  But the company reported […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) gave the Department of Energy and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) a year to brief the board on improvements to safety at the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s  pit facility in New Mexico. The nuclear safety watchdog, in a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright with […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Tuesday it was adding the U.K.’s Westley Group as a strategic supplier to support the U.S. submarine industrial base under the AUKUS agreement. The announcement was made by the submarine manufacturer during day one of the Indo Pacific International Maritime Expo in Sydney, Australia. According to a release on HII’s […]

The United Kingdom’s Office for Nuclear Regulation has granted EDF Energy  permission to decommission the Hinkley Point B nuclear power station in Somerset, England. The decision came after a public consultation and detailed assessment by Office of Nuclear Regulation specialist inspectors of EDF’s environmental statement and habitats regulations assessment, according to the UK agency’s Oct. […]

The Department of Energy has issued another solicitation for a data center and accompanying power generation, with this project to be developed at the Paducah Site in Kentucky. The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced the request for offer (RFO) in a Nov. 4 press release. The online solicitation notice is available here. Responses to […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in the halls of the Capitol Tuesday that Congress will likely vote to open the government by Friday. Mullin told a quorum of reporters he’s “pretty confident” Congress will reopen the government this week, and while he said he […]

Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), the Bechtel-led contractor team that oversees the Y-12 National Security Complex, is looking at office space near the facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. CNS recently took in expressions of interest (EOI) from potential suppliers of office space located within five to 20 miles of the Y-12 complex at the Department of […]

Constellation Energy announced plans this week to explore adding 2,000 megawatts of new nuclear power in Maryland while seeking a license extension for its existing nuclear units.  On Tuesday, Constellation released a long-range proposal to develop up to 5,800 megawatts of power generation and battery storage projects in the state. Constellation’s proposal includes a prominent […]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) last week asked President Donald Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) not to “shield” nuclear weapons programs “from independent oversight.” During the confirmation hearing for Vice Adm. Richard Correll to be STRATCOM commander last week in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Warren said the nation’s nuclear […]