Publications: Nuclear Energy Security Monitor

An EnergySolutions proposal to take low-level radioactive waste from Ontario, Canada at its Clive, Utah disposal site will be the focus of an upcoming special meeting of the Northwest Interstate Compact On Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management. According to a public notice, the Nov. 25 public meeting will consider a draft for “possibly accepting LLRW  waste […]

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 […]

Sizewell C, a new nuclear power plant in England, has signed multi-year fuel supply contracts with Urenco and Framatome, officials said Sunday. Urenco was awarded a six-year fuel supply contract to provide enriched uranium services for the first six years of the nuclear generation station, according to Sizewell C’s press release. Sizewell C said Urenco’s […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll announced a new nuclear reactor program Tuesday to deploy microreactors in the military. Called the Janus program, Wright and Driscoll announced the effort at the 2025 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) conference in Washington.  The announcement heavily referred […]

Radiant Nuclear plans to build its first portable nuclear generator factory on land near the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, the company announced this week.  The El Segundo, Calif. based microreactor developer company will invest $280 million in its new factory and create 175 new jobs in Roane County, according to Tennessee […]

Holtec International has canceled plans to build an interim nuclear waste storage facility in New Mexico, months after an U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made way for such projects in New Mexico and Texas. “After discussions with our longtime partner in the HI-STORE project, the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance [ELEA], and due to the untenable path […]

With a new wave of advanced reactors on the way, the United States needs a strategy to utilize nuclear fuel recycling, former Department of Energy assistant secretary of Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff said in an opinion piece. “As a former assistant secretary for nuclear energy, I recently watched my successor, Ted Garrish, confirmed by the […]

X-energy’s subsidiary in Canada completed a study confirming the feasibility of repurposing a thermal generation site in Alberta, Canada with Xe-100 small modular reactors. The feasibility study found “significant alignment between the province’s unique energy and industrial profile and the attributes of the Xe-100,” according to the company’s Sept. 25 press release. It identified areas […]

Pacific Fusion announced Sept. 26 it has chosen Albuquerque, N.M. as the site for its $1 billion research and manufacturing campus. The facility at Mesa del Sol is projected to bring over 200 long-term jobs and hundreds of construction jobs, according to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) Sept. 26 press release. The research […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized Urenco USA to produce low-enriched uranium plus, becoming the first commercial uranium enricher to do so, according to its Thursday press release. Initial production of low-enriched uranium plus is scheduled to start later this year and the first deliveries to fuel fabricator planned for 2026, Urenco USA said. NRC […]

ARLINGTON, VA. — Two Department of Energy cleanup properties are expected to issue solicitations for artificial intelligence (AI)-related data centers soon, federal officials said here Wednesday. The Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee could issue a request for proposals in early November for a potential data center, Rob Seifert, director of infrastructure disposition and regulatory policy […]

Centrus Energy has announced plans to expand its uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio. The expansion is anticipated to boost the production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), according to the Centrus Thursday press release. It is also anticipated to create over 1,000 construction jobs and 300 operational jobs at the Piketon […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A panel of nuclear fusion experts urged a subcommittee of the House Science Committee Thursday to support a major investment in nuclear fusion in order to keep up with China. During the House Science Subcommittee on Energy hearing, the panel heard testimony from Oak Ridge National Laboratory director of fusion energy division […]

Nuclear energy deals between U.S. and UK companies were signed this week after President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a memorandum of understanding to usher in a “golden age” of nuclear power, the countries said.  Trump visited the United Kingdom from Tuesday to Thursday.  The agreements between the UK and U.S. […]

The United States and the United Kingdom concluded a joint summit Thursday by putting out a memorandum of understanding on “technology prosperity,” including cooperation on issues from nuclear energy to artificial intelligence. While the deal between the Trans-Atlantic allies seeks to deepen collaboration on all-things-nuclear, it also sets out a goal of shedding dependence on […]

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 Department of Energy this week announced $134 million in funding towards two fusion energy-based technology programs. DOE has allocated $128 million towards Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) collaboratives, according to the Wednesday press release. It also allocated $6.1 million for the Innovative Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program. Nuclear fusion is a source of […]

Nuclear power reactors worldwide cranked out a record 2,667 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity during 2024, according to a report released this week by the World Nuclear Association. That is up slightly from the prior high of 2,660 TWh during 2006, according to the report released Monday Sept. 1. The global reactor fleet ran at […]

Oklo announced Thursday it will build and operate a $1.68 billion nuclear fuel recycling facility that could employ 800 people at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee.  The fuel facility is the first phase of an advanced fuel center supporting recycling and fuel fabrication, according to Oklo’s Thursday press release. The facility […]

California-based Deep Isolation has praised the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council for its plan to address nuclear waste disposal policy in the United States, including establishment of an independent body outside the Department of Energy.  The NIC’s action plan, Action Plan for Transforming the Back End of the U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle, provides an outline for […]

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency departed from Iran on July 4 to return to headquarters in Vienna, the agency said on website X that day. The inspectors had been in Tehran “throughout the recent military conflict,” the post said. The agency’s director general Rafael Grossi also “reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA […]

Rolls-Royce SMR and ČEZ signed an early works agreement last week to initiate site work at the Temelin Nuclear Power Station in the Czech Republic. Rolls Royce SMR, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Holdings, and ČEZ, a Czech utility, plan to deploy a small modular reactor at the Temelin site. Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the […]

Several nuclear and energy groups urged Secretary of Energy Chris Wright this week to take action to address the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle in the United States. The Nuclear Energy Institute, Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), Nuclear Industry Council, American Nuclear Society, Decommissioning Plant Coalition, Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition (NWSC), National Association of […]

Global Laser Enrichment has submitted its full license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in Paducah, Ky., the company said last week. The Wilmington, N.C. based company that licenses laser enrichment technology owned by Australia’s Silex Systems recently filed in its safety analysis report to complete its full license […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy miscalculated during the selection process of its High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) Demonstration Project, the Department’s Office of Inspector General found in an audit. In a July 2 audit report the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found the Office of Nuclear Energy inappropriately limited competition during its pre-award […]