Publications: ExchangeMonitor Morning Briefing

The United States will “take no shortcuts on safety” when it comes to accelerated deployment of new U.S. nuclear technology, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday at the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. “We want the world to know that when you engage in civil nuclear cooperation with the […]

Crews at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state have relocated 430,000 gallons of liquid radioactive and chemical waste from an old single-shell underground tank into a newer double-shell one, DOE said Tuesday. BWX Technologies-led contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) oversaw the transfer to a newer double-shell tank from Single-Shell […]

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) filed cloture Monday on 48 of President Donald Trump’s nominations “en bloc,” meaning in a large batch, to include nominees involved in the nuclear weapon’s complex. The Senate adopted the resolution Monday 51-44 to restore en bloc consideration of nominees at a sub-cabinet level. The Senate schedule said cloture […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) prime at the Savannah River Site is seeking to speed construction on the plutonium pits facility in South Carolina. Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) said in a Monday press release it is working with its partners to accelerate the major NNSA project. The release said crews are opening […]

Nuclear energy deals are expected this week between the United States and the United Kingdom during President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK that could stimulate a “golden age” of nuclear power, the countries said.  Trump departed Tuesday morning for the UK, according to the official White House schedule. The agreements between the UK and […]

With being on the verge of restarting, Holtec’s Palisades nuclear plant has been awarded its sixth reimbursement loan by the Department of Energy worth $155.9 million. The sixth loan portion comes a month after the fifth loan guarantee was distributed, which was worth $83.2 million. DOE has now issued $491 million to the Palisades plant […]

The House of Representatives fiscal 2026 national defense authorization bill, passed last week, would require the U.S. Air Force to submit to lawmakers a plan to sustain aging components on Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The annual plan would need to be submitted on LGM-35A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by Boeing until the […]

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is the latest official from her state to urge Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to stick with an Oct. 15 target for starting to convert radioactive sludge at the Hanford Site in a stable glass form. In a Senate floor statement on Friday Sept. 12 should not be “walking back” the […]

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) will actively monitor Los Alamos National Laboratory’s controlled capture of tritium that was scheduled to start Saturday, Sept. 13. NMED has “strict safeguards and oversight in place to ensure public safety,” the state agency said Sept. 12. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is venting and capturing tritium from […]

The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico received 55 waste shipments in August.  That’s slightly more than the 50 shipments sent to the facility in August 2024, and the 48 WIPP received in July. The figures are according to DOE’s public website for the underground salt mine disposal site.  Of […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has selected John Tappert as director of its Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Tappert, who has been serving as the acting office director and previously as the office’s deputy director, was promoted to this role effective Sept. 7, according to a NRC’s Sept. 10 press release.  Tappert has been the acting […]

TerraPower and KBR have agreed to cooperate in seeking potential deployment of an advanced nuclear reactor in the United Kingdom. The two companies will jointly perform studies and evaluate potential sites for development of TerraPower’s Natrium reactor and energy storage system, according to TerraPower’s Monday press release. A Natrium reactor is a 345-megawatt sodium fast […]

The Air Force inventory of silos able to launch Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is in no immediate danger of dropping below the threshold of 400 established by Congress in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. This information comes as the Air Force transitions from the 1970s-era Boeing LGM-30G Minuteman III to the […]

Holtec International, EDF UK and Tritax Management have agreed to collaborate to deploy a data center and small modular reactor at a retired coal site in Nottinghamshire, England. According to a joint press release, the three companies intend to formalize their collaboration through a memorandum of understanding. The three companies intend to develop a one […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 16: Meeting: The Portsmouth Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory meets in person starting at 6 p.m. Eastern Time at The Ohio State University, Endeavor Center, 1862 Shyville Road, Room 165, Piketon, Ohio 45661. 17: Virtual meeting: The Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board […]

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) said Friday his state won’t hesitate to enforce an existing federal court order if the Department of Energy attempts to cancel a multibillion-dollar plant designed to vitrify liquid radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site into a solid glass form. Ferguson, along with the head of the Washington state Department […]

The second U.S. Air Force B-21 Raider stealth bomber by Northrop Grumman has arrived at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), Calif., for flight testing, the service said Thursday. “With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement. The Air Force […]

The White House has requested Congress include $3.93 billion for procurement of a Columbia-class submarine in its consideration of a potential continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown.  “Without this anomaly, the deployment plans for future [nuclear ballistic missile submarines] could result in delays in a day-to-day slip for the program,” the Donald Trump […]

The House passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 231-to-196 Wednesday, after two days of debating around 300 amendments. Four Republicans voted against the bill, while one did not vote. Meanwhile, 17 Democrats voted for the bill, while four did not vote. The House version would authorize $25.4 billion for the […]

Deep Fission has raised $30 million in private funding to finance the deployment of its underground advanced nuclear reactor, the company announced Monday. The funding comes weeks after Berkeley, Calif.-based nuclear technology developer was named as one of the 10 companies selected for the Department of Energy’s reactor pilot program. The DOE program aims to […]

An amendment to the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act by an Arizona Republican would require a study into the idea of siting small modular reactors (SMRs) at defense installations. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) has proposed an amendment, adopted by voice vote on the House floor, directing the secretary of defense to do […]

Construction plans have been approved for the Sentinel missile wings at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyo. and Malmstrom AFB, Mont., Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) told the Exchange Monitor in the Senate speaker’s lobby Tuesday. The 90th wing and the 341st wings at these bases would make up two out of three missile wings […]

Urenco USA has started producing low-enriched uranium with its second new cascade of gas centrifuges at its enrichment facility in New Mexico, the company said Wednesday. Urenco USA, an affiliate of the European Urenco Group, said it started the cascade ahead of schedule and on budget, according to its Wednesday press release. The newest centrifuge […]

The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) will hold a fall meeting on Nov. 13 in Arlington, Va. The hybrid meeting will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time at the Westin Crystal City Reagan National Airport Hotel at 1800 Richmond Highway in Arlington, Va. The fall meeting will be replacing the summer […]

Management and operating (M&O) contractors at National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have not developed reliable cost estimates for fixed-price construction subcontracts, the Government Accountability Office said. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has a cost estimating guide that established 12 steps that “reflect commercial best practices to help agencies develop comprehensive, well documented, accurate, and credible […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office and its legacy cleanup contractor will hold a public meeting starting at 5 p.m. Mountain Time Wednesday. Speakers from DOE and environmental prime Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos, LLC (N3B) will discuss remediation at the Los Alamos National Laboratory site in New Mexico. […]