Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week announced a proposed rule for microreactor approval under 10 CFR Part 57. The regulatory framework under Part 57 aims to enable rapid deployment of microreactors and other reactor technologies with similar risk profiles, according to NRC’s April 24 press release.  Under the proposed Part 57 rule, it allows for […]

Oklo, NVIDIA and the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have entered into agreement on Thursday to explore artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled research and nuclear research and development at LANL. According to Oklo’s press release, the collaboration will use Oklo’s sodium fast-reactor design, NVIDIA AI infrastructure and LANL’s technical expertise in materials science and […]

The state of New York plans to select a site to host at least 1,000 megawatts of new nuclear power this year, according to an April 13 Bloomberg article. A New York Power Authority spokesperson confirmed the timeline with Exchange Monitor this week. New York Power Authority Senior Vice President of Nuclear Development Todd Josifovski […]

Centrus Energy said Monday it has selected Geiger Brothers as its construction contractor for the multi-billion expansion project for the Centrus uranium enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio, a deal potentially worth $900 million. According to a Centrus Securities and Exchange Commission Monday filing, the time-and-materials contract signed by the two companies runs through Jan. 30, […]

Kairos Power has broken ground on its Hermes 2 demonstration plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. over the weekend. The Hermes 2 plant is Kairos’s first commercial-scale reactor and was issued a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2024. Barnard Construction, which is currently working on the Hermes low-power demonstration reactor, will serve as […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Tuesday Senate hearing, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright offered a briefing to an Arizona Democrat on what the Department of Energy is doing to fast-track reactor deployment. In the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee fiscal 2027 budget hearing, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said there have been concerns about a […]

Fermi America’s CEO Toby Neugebauer and chief financial officer (CFO) Miles Everson have resigned from their respective roles, according to recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings from the company. According to an April 17 SEC filing, Neugebauer’s resignation was effective on April 17. Everson’s resignation was made effective on April 19, according to a […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told Democrats on a House Energy and Commerce panel that NRC can remain independent despite the chance of commissioners being terminated by the White House. Wednesday’s hearing of the House Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee came four months after the NRC regained a full  five-member contingent. […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told a Senate panel Wednesday the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy fiscal 2027 budget request is pretty flat once the big picture is considered.  Wright talked about the request from the Donald Trump White House In a Wednesday Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development subcommittee […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a notice in the Federal Register this week seeking public comments on NextEra Energy’s three license amendment requests for the Duane Arnold Energy Center restart. According to the Wednesday notice, comments must be submitted by May 22, while requests for hearings or petitions to intervene must be submitted by […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy kicked off a new initiative Thursday centered around bolstering the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain by 2033. The new initiative “Nuclear Dominance – 3 by 33” has the federal government working with industry to build up the many aspects of the nuclear supply chain, including uranium enrichment, […]

Bellevue, Wash.-based TerraPower has begun nuclear construction for its molten salt Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo., the company announced Thursday. “This is the moment our industry has been working toward for a generation. We’re not just breaking new ground on a first-of-a-kind nuclear plant in Wyoming; we’re building the next generation of America’s energy infrastructure,” […]

The Department of Energy’s Offices of Environmental Management (EM) and Nuclear Energy released request for applications (RFAs) Wednesday seeking partners to start recycling some of the country’s spent nuclear fuel. Submissions for the two solicitations are both due by June 19, while questions surrounding the RFAs are due by May 19. DOE EM will sponsor […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said Wednesday the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has received 28 responses from states following DOE’s request for information for the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus program.  During a House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee hearing on DOE’s fiscal 2027 budget request, Wright said the nuclear […]

The Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has entered into a partnership this week with the nuclear fusion startup Inertia Enterprises to explore and develop new fusion technology. According to LLNL’s Tuesday press release, the partnership consists of a cooperative research and development agreement focused on laser development and two strategic partnership projects. The […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said during a House hearing this week that the Department of Energy will lean on its Office of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing once again to help fund new advanced nuclear projects. During a Wednesday House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee hearing on DOE’s fiscal 2027 […]

A South Carolina nuclear advisory panel heard Monday that various feasibility tasks are underway to help a state-owned electric utility decide whether a $2.7 billion investment will be made to complete two partially built nuclear reactors.  The Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Power Station has three units, with only one currently active. The other two were […]

The Department of Energy has completed construction of its National Research Innovation Center’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed, located at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, the agency said last week. DOME is a first-of-a-kind facility that will allow private nuclear companies to test their microreactor technologies. The test bed facility serves to accelerate development, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued two new final rules under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) meant to streamline environmental review during its licensing processes. The first rule, affirmed on Monday by the Commission, creates a new generic environmental impact statement framework for new reactor technology. NRC said the new setup uses “a technology-neutral […]

The Department of Energy wants $10 million to fund the standalone Office of Fusion in fiscal 2027, according to DOE’s recent budget justification document. DOE said the $10 million request will support the office by providing funding for personnel, travel, advisory and start up assistance. The Office of Fusion will lead DOE in advancing “a […]

The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy unveiled in a Tuesday memorandum a new initiative focused on the use of nuclear power in space. Within 30 days of the memorandum, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will create a program to develop a mid-power space reactor with a lunar fission surface power […]

Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Dave McCormick (R-Penn.) have introduced a bill this week that looks to expand the Department of Energy’s ability to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technology The bill, Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment Act, was introduced to the Senate on Tuesday. The senators said in the press release that the […]

Nuclear power, as a percentage of electric generation, is expected to remain relatively flat despite the Donald Trump administration’s push to reach 400 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2050, according to an April report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2026 report, published April 8, provides projections through 2050 for all […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy mishandled the funding and overall development of the Carbon-Free Power Project based near DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, the DOE Office of Inspector General (OIG) found in a recent audit. In October 2020, the Office of Nuclear Energy issued a 10-year, $1.36 billion award to Carbon-Free Power Project […]

Fluor has signed an agreement to support X-Energy’s small modular reactor project at Dow’s UCC Seadrift Operations in Seadrift, Texas. Under the contract, Fluor will provide Front-End Loading Stage 2 services for the project, according to the company’s Monday press release. There are five stages to the Front-End Loading process, Fluor said. Stage 2 focuses […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff this week recommended NRC issue a construction permit allowing the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a small modular reactor (SMR) at the Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. In the final supplemental environmental impact statement, published Monday in the Federal Register, NRC staff recommended issuing the permit to TVA, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received an application from Westinghouse this week that seeks to update and renew its AP1000 reactor design certification to support fleet-scale deployment. The Westinghouse application incorporates lessons learned from the construction of Vogtle 3 and 4 units into the design control documentation and uses Vogtle Unit 4 as its standard […]