Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) recently identified four potential sites in the state for a new advanced reactor. In a May 20 press release, NPPD said that Beatrice, Brownville, Norfolk and Sutherland were the top four communities suited for a new reactor.  The four sites identified were as a part of the second phase […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted Orano USA’s Project IKE uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. for an accelerated review on May 21. NRC said in a press release it plans to complete its technical review of Orano’s construction permit application within 12 months. That evaluation will include a detailed safety and security analysis and […]

California- based Oklo said this week it has been selected for negotiations with the Department of Energy to potentially receive surplus plutonium for nuclear fuel in reactor projects.  This comes after the DOE  issued a request for applications in October 2025.for companies interested in being part of the federal Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program. DOE plans […]

Torrance, Calif.-based Antares Nuclear signed a long-term enrichment services deal with Urenco on May 21 to supply high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for its new microreactors. Under the agreement, Urenco will provide enrichment services for HALEU to assist with Antares’ planned microreactors deployments across North America and other markets, Antares said in a press release. The […]

Berkeley, Calif.-based Deep Fission launched its initial public offering (IPO) on May 20, saying in a press release it expected the initial IPO price to be between $24 and $26 per share.  The nuclear company is targeting a valuation of nearly $1.6 billion, according to an article by Reuters. Deep Fission began the roadshow for […]

Houston-based nuclear startup Deployable Energy said last week it received the Department of Energy’s approval for preliminary safety analysis for its microreactor demonstration. Deployable Energy applied to be a part of DOE’s reactor pilot program but was not one of the 10 companies chosen in August 2025. But the nuclear startup was selected under DOE’s […]

The United States should hold off on nuclear fuel reprocessing, until the proliferation concerns around the process are addressed, a former National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) official said recently. In a May interview with Exchange Monitor, Scott Roecker, who formerly served as the director of the Office of Nuclear Material Removal at NNSA, told the […]

The Nuclear Company has launched a next-generation nuclear security platform called NOS Security this week that would modernize protection of nuclear infrastructure, construction sites and operating facilities across the United States and allied nations.  NOS Security, developed over the past year, is an integrated cyber-security platform for the nuclear industry, The Nuclear Company said in […]

Republican incumbents easily won their party primaries Tuesday in Idaho, where the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is based. Meanwhile in Kentucky, the GOP House of Representatives member representing DOE’s Paducah Site also won his primary easily.  Longtime House Appropriations Committee member and INL backer Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) carried more than 63% […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a time of growing energy demand, investment in nuclear power can be important to the economic future of the United States, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said last week.  Gallego told the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Policy Forum May 12-13 that getting the right mix of nuclear energy in the domestic energy portfolio […]

NextEra’s proposed purchase of Dominion Energy would create a nuclear power giant, with eight active plants between the utilities and a nith that might be restarted. NextEra said on Monday that it will purchase Dominion Energy for nearly $67 billion to combine two of the largest utilities in the United States. According to the companies’ […]

Miami-based tritium nuclear technology developer City Labs has been awarded a $1.5 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the company said this week. City Labs said in a press release the funding, under DARPA’s Rads to Watts program, will support the development of a new class of high-power radiation voltaics energy […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Doug Weaver was reconfirmed by the Senate Monday to serve a full five-year term as a commissioner that will expire in June 2031. Weaver was confirmed alongside nearly 50 of President Donald Trump’s other nominees in the en bloc package, Senate Resolution 690, spearheaded by the Republicans. The nominees’ confirmation passed […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no significant impact in the environmental assessment of Dow and X-Energy’s construction permit application for their Texas small modular reactor (SMR) station.. NRC said on Monday the environmental assessment was completed ahead of schedule. It also determined an environmental assessment was sufficient for X-Energy’s Texas project than an […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hopes of building multiple new reactors in the United States are anchored in a strong supply chain, with a key focus on uranium enrichment, a panel of nuclear experts told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday. During the hearing by the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Innovation […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted the NANO Nuclear’s KRONOS microreactor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Illinois for review on Tuesday. The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, NANO’s partner for the reactor deployment, submitted the application on March 31. The university’s engineering department is NANO’s partner for the […]

The House Appropriations Committee passed 34-25 its version of a bill on Wednesday that would give $1.8 billion to the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and $892.3 million to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. For the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, this would be more than President Donald Trump’s White House request of $1.53 […]

This weekend, Saturday May 23 to be exact, marks the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14300, which sought to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The May 2025 executive action took the industry by storm as it called for the nuclear regulator to undergo various changes to accelerate nuclear licensing and deployment in […]

After cloture was invoked Thursday for a slew of President Donald Trump nominees, including Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Doug Weaver, the Senate will debate and vote on the confirmation of the en bloc of nominations May 18. Weaver, who took over after former commissioner Annie Caputo resigned, was renominated by Trump on Jan. 29 to serve […]

A group of nuclear critics Monday publicly denounced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) proposed rulemaking to review Department of Energy and Pentagon-approved reactor designs. In a joint press release, the 13 organizations, including Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and Beyond Nuclear, said the proposed rule violates aspects of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 […]

The House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee advanced its fiscal 2027 appropriations bill that would give $1.8 billion to Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy and $892.3 million to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).  The full House Appropriations Committee released the Energy and Water appropriations bill and bill summary on Thursday, and passed it […]

Earnings fell at NuScale Power, Corvallis, Ore., in the first quarter, which the small modular reactor developer attributed to completing work and agreements last year related to the RoPower project in Romania. Revenue for the first quarter, ended March 31, was $600,000, down from $13.4 million in the first quarter in 2025. NuScale had a […]

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Maritime Administration have released a request for information (RFI) on May 7 for a new initiative exploring using small modular reactors to power commercial ships. According to the RFI, DOT and the Maritime Administration are seeking input from the industry and public to figure out if and how […]

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) is in jeopardy of ceasing operations due to its aging facility and spent fuel storage nearing its capacity, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a May 7 report. The GAO recommended that DOE complete its evaluation of the Idaho Operations Office’s research and test reactor spent […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a prominent year for nuclear energy, the industry needs to turn its focus towards building new generation at scale, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Maria Korsnick said at a Tuesday forum. To open the NEI’s 2026 Nuclear Energy Policy Forum, Korsnick said in her State of the Nuclear Industry […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As hyperscalers continue to prioritize speed to power, advanced reactors are seen as a long-term solution to powering artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, Meta’s Joel Kaplan said at a Tuesday forum. During the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI) Nuclear Energy Policy Forum panel held here at Omni Shoreham Hotel, Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs […]

AtkinsRéalis has signed a 20-year agreement with First American Nuclear Company to become the engineering,  procurement and construction management provider for First American Nuclear’s small modular reactor deployments in North America. According to  AtkinsRéalis’ Wednesday press release, work on the first task orders is already underway and agreement contemplates services are worth up to $250 […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid ongoing organizational changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), staffing concerns take precedence as the independent regulator works to license the next generation of nuclear reactors. Over the past year, NRC has faced many changes of personnel and organizational structure, some of which was ordered by Executive Order 14300. The agency […]