Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

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 […]

New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that establishes a framework for collaboration on the development of advanced nuclear technologies. The MOU, first announced Dec. 18, will explore large-scale and small modular reactors (SMRs) in an effort to decarbonize and strengthen energy reliability and affordability in […]

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) died early Tuesday at age 65 after a medical emergency Monday night caused him to go into emergency surgery, Butte County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The sheriff’s office said LaMalfa died during the medical procedure, but the office is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of death. […]

Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) said this week  it has submitted the Initial Project Description for the Deep Geological Repository for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel Project. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission are now seeking public comment from Indigenous Peoples and other community members on the project by Feb. […]

President Donald Trump wants to see deployment of a nuclear power reactor on the moon as soon as 2030, according to a recent executive action. In the Dec. 18 executive order 14369, “Ensuring American Space Superiority”, the Trump White House called for Americans to return to the moon by 2028 through NASA’s Artemis Program, a […]

This week, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which among other things would lift the Illinois moratorium on large new nuclear reactors.  The act, Senate Bill 25, was passed by the state House by a 70 – 37 vote and the state Senate by a 37 – […]

Terrestrial Energy has signed an agreement with the Department of Energy to support the deployment of its molten salt reactor under the DOE pilot reactor program. Formally called an “other transaction authority” contract, the deal is a flexible, non-traditional legal agreement between the government and industry used to bypass traditional, rigid contract rules to carry […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nuclear power’s expansion in the United States hinges upon a strong and independent regulator, witnesses told a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday morning. Democratic lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy subcommittee expressed misgivings about nuclear safety and the independence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) under President Donald Trump’s White […]

The Department of Energy said Monday it was awarding $2.7 billion total in task orders to three companies with the goal of strengthening domestic uranium enrichment over the next ten years. American Centrifuge Operating, a Centrus company, and General Matter are both receiving $900 million to create a domestic high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) enrichment capacity. […]

A three-bill minibus appropriations bill that includes fiscal 2026 funds for Energy and Water development, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy passed the House floor 397-28 Thursday. The bill was released by top appropriators in the Senate and House Monday on both sides of the aisle. Congress has until Jan. 30 to […]

After being sworn in as a commissioner just last month, President Donald Trump has picked Ho Nieh to serve as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s chairman effective Thursday Jan. 8. David Wright, appointed chairman in January 2025, will be replaced by Nieh, but will still stay and serve as a commissioner, according to NRC’s Thursday press […]

After 15 years, Japan is set to restart operations at its largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The decision comes after the Niigata local government approved a partial restart of the Japanese plant this week. Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant that went into meltdown in 2011 following an earthquake and […]

In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second administration, he established himself as an unabashed nuclear energy advocate – both promoting new projects and remaking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in an effort to speed up approvals. While history will tell if 2025 spawns a full-scale nuclear resurgence, it is indisputable that there have […]

In observance of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, Radwaste & Materials Monitor will not publish again until Friday Jan. 9. Exchange Monitor staffers are off Dec. 25-26 as well as Jan. 1-2. The Monitor wishes you a happy and safe holiday season!

The Department of Energy has revealed its first selections for its Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear’s (GAIN)nuclear energy voucher program. According to DOE GAIN’s Dec. 18 press release, the first round of recipients for fiscal 2026 are: BWX Technologies Advanced Technologies, based in Lynchburg, Va.  NuScale Power, in Corvallis, Ore. Orbia Fluor and Energy […]

New nuclear projects have the potential to provide up to 30% of electricity for developing countries, according to a December report by the Rockefeller Foundation. The report, “The Role of Nuclear Energy in Powering Universal Energy Abundance for Emerging Economies”, said countries with a developing economy could use nuclear power to deliver up to 30% […]

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s four nominees for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors in a 53 – 43 vote on Dec. 18. The confirmation of Arthur Graham, Mitch Graves, Jeff Hagood and Randall Jones were among a large bloc of other Trump nominees who were awaiting confirmations. The four confirmed […]

Centrus Energy has started manufacturing centrifuges in Tennessee for the company’s advanced uranium enrichment plant at the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio. New enrichment capacity is expected to come online in 2029, according to Centrus’ Dec. 19 press release. The centrifuges are being made at the company’s manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge, […]