Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

Nuclear power plants in the United States experienced fewer outages in the first three weeks of this year compared to 2025, according to a Monday report from the Energy Information Administration. From Jan. 1 to Jan. 21, nuclear power outages averaged two gigawatts or 2,000 megawatts, which is 20% less than the same period in […]

ARLINGTON, VA – Competing for workers with other nuclear projects around the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee is a concern, Centrus Energy CEO Amir Vexler said here this week. Recently, Centrus announced plans to expand its Oak Ridge manufacturing facility to assist in its plans to expand its uranium enrichment in Piketon, […]

President Donald Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week he wants to get nuclear power plant approval time down to three weeks. When contacted by Exchange Monitor Thursday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said in a statement it is trying to shorten its license review periods.  “NRC is currently engaged […]

The United States and Slovakia have entered into an intergovernmental agreement to bring new electric generation to the Slovakian civil nuclear program. The agreement, announced by the U.S. Department of Energy Jan. 16, includes the development of a new state-owned American 1,200-megawatt unit at the Jaslovské Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant. Bohunice has two operating pressurized […]

Congress stands ready to work with the Donald Trump administration on a long-term nuclear waste management program, Reps. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and August Pfluger (R-Texas) said in a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The Jan. 12 letter was sent to Wright as the Department of Energy should be nearing completion of a nuclear waste […]

The Donald Trump administration is reportedly considering offering economic incentives for states to consider taking on nuclear waste, according to a Wednesday article from Politico. The Trump administration intends to introduce a program soon addressing  nuclear waste, Politico reported. Governors would receive incentives in exchange for hosting spent nuclear fuel. The federal government is expected […]

Kairos Power has finalized a contract with the Department of Energy to receive high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for its Hermes demonstration reactor in Oak Ridge, Tenn. In Kairos’s Tuesday press release, the company said it will use the material to produce HALEU tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel pebbles for Hermes 1. It will also partner up […]

Amentum has been chosen by Rolls-Royce SMR to serve as its program delivery partner for the first European deployments of Rolls-Royce small modular reactors. . The two companies signed a collaborative agreement to make Amentum responsible for integration, oversight, governance, construction management and execution of SMR deployment, according to Amentum’s Tuesday press release. In the […]

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) has issued an executive order to establish a state nuclear energy task force to explore adding new reactors to the state’s current electricity portfolio. The Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force will help provide recommendations to Missouri’s State Energy Office’s Department of Natural Resources’s new energy plan, which will be […]

The Department of Energy last week denied it has done away with long-time radiation safety standards as reported by a Washington, D.C.-based publication earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it is continuing to review its radiation standards as directed by the White House.  In a Friday Jan. 16 email reply […]

In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, he has pushed heavily for nuclear power to play a larger role in the United States’s energy portfolio. Trump’s second term started Jan. 20, 2025 and hit the one-year mark on Tuesday. The Department of Energy released a roundup Tuesday highlighting Trump administration actions in […]

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has upped the ante on previous plans and called for the state to build up to five gigawatts or 5,000 megawatts of new nuclear energy. Hochul announced the increased scope during her 2026 state of the state address on Jan. 13. Last summer, Hochul announced plans for New York […]

Salt Lake City-based EnergySolutions has filed a notice of intent with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) confirming the company’s plans to develop new generation at the shuttered Kewaunee nuclear plant site in Wisconsin. In a press release posted online Monday, EnergySolutions said it is working with WEC Energy, a Milwaukee-based utility holding company, on the […]

The Senate Thursday passed a minibus bill 82-15 that includes appropriations for Energy and Water development, that provides funding for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department of Energy. The Office of Management and Budget issued a statement of support for the minibus, indicating President Donald Trump will sign the bill when it reaches his […]

Nano Nuclear and Ameresco have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore collaborating to deploy Nano’s KRONOS microreactor at commercial and federal sites. Nano Nuclear is currently developing the KRONOS modular microreactor, which is made to be portable and produce up to 15 megawatts of electricity and 45 megawatts of thermal energy.  Ameresco, headquartered […]

A bipartisan panel of radioactive waste experts issued a study Thursday urging formation of a corporation of nuclear reactor owners to manage disposal of spent nuclear fuel from power plants and high-level waste from weapons production. The NuCorp, or Nuclear Corporation, would be required by federal legislation and set up by reactor owners, according to […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) swore in four board members Monday, restoring a quorum for the nine-member board. Nominated by President Donald Trump in July, Arthur Graham, Mitch Graves, Jeff Hagood and Randall Jones were confirmed by the Senate among a bloc of nominations last month. They will now join TVA’s Board Chair Bill Renick […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received the first stage of a Holtec subsidiary’s two-part construction permit application for two small modular reactors (SMRs) at Palisaded nuclear power plant in Michigan. NRC is reviewing the application to see if it is complete. If so, the application will then be docketed for a detailed technical review […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Coming off the tailwinds of a year filled with nuclear project announcements, regulatory changes will be vital in 2026, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Maria Korsnick said at a Thursday forum. The restart of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan, fuel supply chain needs and the continuation of nuclear […]

Tech giant Meta has announced a string of agreements with several nuclear companies to purchase up to 6,600 megawatts of new and existing capacity by the mid 2030s. On Jan. 9, Meta signed deals with Oklo, Vistra Corp. and TerraPower. These deals come after Constellation Energy signed a 20-year power purchase agreement last year with […]

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday denied a petition by the advocacy group Beyond Nuclear seeking to challenge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license approval for a Holtec International Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF). Beyond Nuclear hoped the high court would invalidate an NRC license that would allow Holtec to construct an interim waste storage in […]

The Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have signed a renewed memorandum of understanding, joining efforts to develop a nuclear power reactor on the moon by 2030. The Tuesday interagency MOU affirms President Donald Trump’s space goals, outlined in the Dec. 18 executive order “Ensuring American Space Superiority”, and its collaboration […]

The restart of the Crane Clean Energy Center will play a large role in adding new megawatts to Pennsylvania’s electric grid, a Constellation Energy spokesperson recently told Exchange Monitor. Last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) greenlit the $167 million digital upgrade to Constellations Limerick Clean Energy Center’s control room. The upgrade is part of […]

Deep Isolation has recently completed a two-year research demonstration project that was funded by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.  Through Project Sequential Advancement of Technology for Deep Borehole Disposal (Project SAVANT), Deep Isolation found that its Universal Center System and borehole casing materials can properly resist corrosion to store spent nuclear fuel, […]

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy has submitted an early site permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a site near Stokes County, N.C. The site will be near Duke’s Belews Creek Station in Stokes County. The submission of the application comes after two years of environmental assessment and technical analysis, Duke said in its […]

Constellation Energy’s Limerick Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania has been approved for a $167-million upgrade by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). According to Constellation’s Tuesday press release, NRC approved a license amendment that greenlights Limerick’s Digital Modernization Project. The upgrade is part of a $5.1 billion investment across Pennsylvania to preserve 5,100 megawatts of power […]