Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said this week it is planning several outer space projects, including the use of nuclear power for certain space exploration.  NASA outlined these new initiatives at its Ignition event held in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to discuss missions involving the moon and Mars.  Among other things, NASA seeks […]

The Donald Trump administration made it official Friday morning, announcing the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site in Ohio has been selected for a multi-billion-dollar data center and power project thanks to a public-private-partnership agreement. In addition to the federal government, the partnership includes SoftBank and AEP Ohio, an American Electric Power company, DOE said in […]

Nevada, where memories of the Yucca Mountain saga still linger, will not seek to host one of the Department of Energy’s state lifecycle hubs, a state official told Exchange Monitor this week. In an emailed statement Monday to the Monitor, Fred Dilger, executive director of the Nevada Agency of Nuclear Projects, said the state will […]

Oklo reached several key regulatory milestones this week for demonstration reactors being developed in Idaho and Texas and a separate project also in Idaho. One approval came via DOE’s reactor pilot program at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory. Oklo’s subsidiary company received the other two approvals as it also received one under the pilot program and […]

Arizona Public Service has officially notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to renew the operating licenses for the Palo Verde Generating Station in Tonopah, Ariz. The Phoenix-based energy utility said in a Monday press release it filed a notice of intent on March 13, informing NRC it plans to submit a subsequent license […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a rule to revise the fees it charges for license applications and certain other activities.  Under the proposed March 12 rule posted in the Federal Register, NRC would establish fixed caps on its service fees. Through Executive Order 14300, NRC has replaced its non-binding milestone schedules with fixed deadlines […]

The United States should consider additional safeguards to civil nuclear reactors in the event of a military attack, a defense analyst said at a Monday hearing. A panel of nuclear experts discussed in the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe hearing the Russian seizing of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and lessons learned from […]

AtkinsRéalis and Nvidia are working together to explore integration of the global tech company’s technologies to potentially advance nuclear-powered artificial intelligence (AI) factories. Montreal, Canada-based AtkinsRéalis said in a Monday press release that this collaboration could help it design a three-dimensional “digital twin” of infrastructure prior to real world construction.  With AtkinsRéalis having the exclusive […]

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. […]