Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

Rockville, Md.-based X-Energy, which has ambitions to build a vast nuclear fleet, signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) this week with  Japanese engineering company IHI Corporation to explore collaboration on X-Energy’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology. The MOU is a part of the deals to come out of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States needs to reestablish a robust domestic uranium enrichment program in order to meet future nuclear goals, Department of Energy Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish said here Thursday. “When I first came onboard, I recognized this really is the biggest risk to the nuclear industry,” Garrish said of […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has unveiled a new effort to add 2,500 megawatts of nuclear power to the grid by 2027 through uprates to existing plants and restarting some closed reactors. The Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) program aims to bring 2,500 megawatts of additional power by 2027 and […]

The United States and Japan have struck deals, valued up to $73 billion, for a number of new energy projects this week as part of its Japan-U.S.Strategic Investment. In the new deals struck by the two countries Thursday, the two governments will invest up to $40 billion to construct GE Vernova Hitachi small modular reactors […]

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) recently laced into the Department of Energy over a recent categorical exclusion to bypass certain safety requirements for certain advanced reactors. On Feb. 2, DOE established a categorical exclusion from certain National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures. The new exclusion could effectively allow certain advanced reactors to be approved without first […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s reactor pilot program could see “three to four” demonstration reactors reach criticality by July 4, DOE Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish told a Senate committee Thursday morning. Garrish, along with John Wagner, DOE Idaho National Laboratory director, and Mike Laufer, Kairos Power CEO, testified before the […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – With the Palisades Nuclear Plant nearing its restart, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is looking to fast track the review of the former Three Mile Island Unit 1 to resume operations by March 2027, an NRC panel said Thursday. During the NRC Regulatory Information Conference’s final day, a panel made of NRC […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will stay committed to independence and safety through the various changes to the agency, NRC Chair Ho Nieh said during the opening panel here Tuesday morning. Recently appointed chair Nieh opened up NRC’s 38th annual Regulatory Information Conference. Nieh said there have been a lot of narratives over […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has appointed former NRC staffer Anna Bradford to lead its Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, effective in May. Bradford is currently director of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Jeremy Groom, who is serving as the acting director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, will continue […]

An Amentum-led joint venture has won a $112 million framework contract to lead decommissioning and waste management at nuclear research sites in four European countries. The new contract, issued by the European Commission Joint Research Center, has a two-year base period, with an option of three possible two-year extensions, according to Amentum’s Tuesday press release. […]

Centrus Energy has announced multiple partnerships this week aiming to increase its fuel capacities and activities at its uranium enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio. Centrus and Oklo agreed on Monday to seek a joint venture focused on deconversion services for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) and advancing fuel-cycle technologies in Ohio. The company then agreed to […]

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has released over 700 acres in a land transfer to support economic and energy development.  Oak Ridge said in its Monday press release that this is the office’s largest land transfer to date. The latest transfer includes two parcels from DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation: Self-Sufficiency […]

Amentum and RSI’s joint venture was awarded a contract for U.S. Navy demolition projects construction that could be worth nearly $1 billion. RSI Amentum Environmental Solutions’ demolition services under the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract are expected to address environmental restoration tasks at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, according to Amentum’s Monday press […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – With the influx of nuclear reactor designs coming down the pipe, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is “ready for the moment” to efficiently and safely license, commissioners David Wright and Bradley Crowell said Tuesday morning. The two commissioners spoke in their respective plenaries during the NRC Regulatory Information Conference. Though a lot of […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a new initiative focused on accelerated development of new advanced nuclear technology. DOE said in its March 5 press release the new initiative, Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, will create a hub to speed up advanced nuclear technology deployment using technical and regulatory frameworks on federal and non-federal lands. […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – Just 11 weeks in, new Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Doug Weaver said Wednesday he is focused on cutting down on the “conservatism” in NRC measures, without compromising safety. Weaver, confirmed as commissioner by the Senate in December 2025, said he wants NRC to become a risk-informed and performance-based regulator. He said his […]

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright called for Indian Point Energy Center, located in Buchanan, N.Y. to be “rebuilt and reopened” to bring down New York’s energy costs.  “New Yorkers are now paying nearly 60 percent more for electricity than the national average, and prices have risen dramatically over the past […]

ROCKVILLE, MD – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is at a crossroads and needs both safety and speed to prepare for incoming nuclear innovation, Commissioner Matthew Marzano said here Wednesday. Marzano opened up the second day of the NRC Regulatory Information Conference. As the recent push for nuclear power seems like an unprecedented moment for the […]

March 11 marked the 15th anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami that caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to melt down.  In the aftermath of the Fukushima accident, Japan temporarily shut down all 54 of its commercial reactors. Since then, several of the reactors have been permanently shut down and are […]

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 15 – 4 Wednesday morning in favor of the renomination of Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Doug Weaver. Weaver, who was confirmed by the Senate in December, was renominated by President Donald Trump on Jan. 29 to serve a new term that will expire on June 30, 2031. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has created a new Office of Advanced Reactors, as part of its reorganization. The Office of Advanced Reactors will handle licensing and oversight of new and advanced reactors, according to NRC’s Monday press release. The office will be in charge of the accelerated review of advanced reactor applications and deployment […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued the Bill Gates-backed nuclear reactor company TerraPower a construction permit for its Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyo. TerraPower, based in Bellevue, Wash., said in a Wednesday press release that it is the first commercial-scale advanced nuclear power plant to ever receive this permit. This is the first commercial […]

Earnings fell at NuScale Power Corvallis, Ore., in the fourth quarter, which the small modular reactor (SMR) developer attributed to a reduction in revenue recognized from the RoPower technology license agreement made in 2024. Revenue for the fourth quarter ended on Dec. 31 were $31.5 million, down from $37 million in the year-ago quarter. General […]

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and nuclear startup company ZettaJoule have signed an agreement to explore constructing a gas research reactor at College Station, Texas. Founded in 2023, ZettaJoule is a small modular reactor developer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company also has offices in Japan. ZettaJoule will construct its research reactor, ZJ0, adjacent […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a new rule that would streamline its Atomic Safety and Licensing Board adjudicatory hearings on most license applications, which include new reactors and license renewals. “This rulemaking would enable the NRC to meet these deadlines for applications even when they are the subject of hearing requests by reforming its […]

The federal government needs to figure out a spent nuclear fuel [SNF] management strategy for new reactors instead of leaving it for future generations to deal with, two authors said in a commentary piece this week. Former Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy official during the Barack Obama administration Matt Bowen and research associate […]

The Department of Energy’s recent solicitation for nuclear lifecycle hubs creates opportunities to better address the back-end of the fuel cycle, several nuclear officials said during a Thursday webinar. The solicitation, published Jan. 28 meant to gauge states’ interest in hosting what DOE calls a “nuclear lifecycle campus” that could include fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment […]

The Donald Trump White House nominated Preston Wells Griffith on Monday to be the United States ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The White House also nominated Griffith to be the U.S. State Department ambassador to the Vienna Office of the United Nations. Griffith served in the first Donald Trump administration, holding several senior […]