Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has appointed Andrea Kock to lead its Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), effective Monday, Sept. 29. Kock served as Region I administrator in King of Prussia, Penn. and most recently has been leading the NMSS as its acting head. She initially joined the NRC in 1996 as a […]

X-energy’s subsidiary in Canada completed a study confirming the feasibility of repurposing a thermal generation site in Alberta, Canada with Xe-100 small modular reactors. The feasibility study found “significant alignment between the province’s unique energy and industrial profile and the attributes of the Xe-100,” according to the company’s Sept. 25 press release. It identified areas […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the operating licenses of units 1 and 2 of NextEra Energy’s Point Beach nuclear plant in Two Rivers, Wis. for 20 additional years. The renewed licenses for Point Beach’s Unit 1 will expire in October 2050 and the second unit in March 2053. This is the second time the Wisconsin […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized Urenco USA to produce low-enriched uranium plus, becoming the first commercial uranium enricher to do so, according to its Thursday press release. Initial production of low-enriched uranium plus is scheduled to start later this year and the first deliveries to fuel fabricator planned for 2026, Urenco USA said. NRC […]

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) announced creation of a state task force on advancing nuclear energy Sept. 22 at a Western Governors’ Association’s workshop at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The task force will explore workforce initiatives to grow the nuclear industry, private-public partnership opportunities for commercialization and research, and evaluate the […]

The Department of Energy said Tuesday it has chosen four companies to participate in its pilot program to strengthen the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain. According to DOE’s Tuesday press release, the winning companies are: Oklo, Santa Clara, Calif., to build and operate fuel fabrication facilities to support their Aurora and Pluto reactors. Terrestrial Energy, […]

If the government’s lapse in appropriations lasts five days or less, “there would be no disruption” to Department of Energy operations, according to DOE’s shutdown contingency plan. “DOE has historically had sufficient previously appropriated funds that remain available to support operations during a short term lapse,” according to the plan made public Wednesday Oct. 1. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has laid out its plans for traversing the government shutdown which began on Wednesday. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent out an approved lapse plan for the independent agency on Tuesday.  Under the plan, when carryover funds at the NRC are all exhausted, activities, including licensing, inspections […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed its three-judge panel’s oral arguments scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 6 on challenges to Long Mott Energy’s construction permit application due to the ongoing government shutdown. The company has applied to develop a small modular reactor in Seadrift, Texas.  NRC announced the postponement of the Atomic […]

Pacific Fusion announced Sept. 26 it has chosen Albuquerque, N.M. as the site for its $1 billion research and manufacturing campus. The facility at Mesa del Sol is projected to bring over 200 long-term jobs and hundreds of construction jobs, according to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) Sept. 26 press release. The research […]

Orano and Zeno Power have agreed to partner to secure a supply chain of americium-241 from Orano’s spent nuclear fuel recycling operations in France. Through the agreement, Zeno will make a multi-million-dollar investment to gain priority access to large quantities of americium-241 annually from Orano’s la Hague used fuel treatment and recycling site in Normandy, […]

Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said this week a potential conflict of interest exists between Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Oklo, a company where Wright previously served on the board of directors.  Markey, a frequent nuclear critic, voiced his concerns to President Donald Trump in a letter Tuesday. Markey posed several questions to the White House […]

Oklo held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory to mark the start of work for its first Aurora powerhouse project. “This opportunity positions us to build our first plant more quickly,” Oklo CEO and co-founder Jacob DeWitte said in a press release. “We have been working with the Department […]

ARLINGTON, VA. — Two Department of Energy cleanup properties are expected to issue solicitations for artificial intelligence (AI)-related data centers soon, federal officials said here Wednesday. The Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee could issue a request for proposals in early November for a potential data center, Rob Seifert, director of infrastructure disposition and regulatory policy […]

Deep Fission has selected sites in Kansas, Texas and Utah as potential locations for its underground nuclear reactors. The Berkeley, Calif. based advanced nuclear technology company has signed letters of intent with partners at each location to pursue joint development projects, according to its Sept. 18 press release. Specific locations of deployment in each state […]

Centrus Energy announced plans of expanding at its uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio. The expansion is anticipated to boost the production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), according to the Centrus Thursday press release. It is also anticipated to create over 1,000 construction jobs and 300 operational jobs at the Piketon […]

Amentum announced plans to create 3,000 new jobs over the next four years to support the growth of the United Kingdom’s nuclear power and defense industry. The engineering solutions company’s announcement came as a part of a handful of deals between UK and U.S. nuclear companies following President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom […]

Uncertainty over a potential government shutdown is rising after the Senate last Friday Sept. 19 rejected a House-passed stopgap funding bill that also included spending flexibility for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities.  After the House earlier in the day narrowly approved a GOP-led continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open through Nov. […]

Nuclear waste management in the United States is not a technical issue but a political one due to differing energy priorities from administration to administration, a panel said Monday at City College of New York in New York, N.Y. The hybrid panel for “What Now, What Next: Tackling Spent Nuclear Fuel for a Sustainable Future” […]

Ted Garrish, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, will be sworn in this Friday, according to a DOE Office of Nuclear Energy spokesperson. Garrish has held the lead role of the Office of Nuclear Energy once before during the Ronald Reagan administration in the late 1980s.  Garrish […]

The financial health of U.S. nuclear plants can be affected by factors such as the market they operate in, electricity prices and the availability of tax credits, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported this week. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) oversees the safety and commercial use of nuclear energy, but is not overly involved with […]

TerraPower, Evergy and the Kansas Department of Commerce have joined forces to explore deploying an advanced nuclear reactor and energy storage system at an Evergy location in Kansas. The site selection will be based on an evaluation of factors including community support and the ability of the site to receive a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to work with a fusion company based in Knoxville to deploy a commercial fusion plant within a decade at an old coal-fired power plant in Tennessee.  TVA issued a letter of intent to the fusion technology Type One Energy seeking how the two entities would work together to develop a […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has selected John Tappert as director of its Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Tappert, who has been serving as the acting office director and previously as the office’s deputy director, was promoted to this role effective Sept. 7, according to a NRC’s Sept. 10 press release.  Tappert has been the acting […]

With being on the verge of restarting, Holtec’s Palisades nuclear plant has been awarded its sixth reimbursement loan by the Department of Energy worth $155.9 million. The sixth loan portion comes a month after the fifth loan guarantee was distributed, which was worth $83.2 million. DOE has now issued $491 million to the Palisades plant […]

Nuclear energy deals between U.S. and UK companies were signed this week after President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a memorandum of understanding to usher in a “golden age” of nuclear power, the countries said.  Trump visited the United Kingdom from Tuesday to Thursday.  The agreements between the UK and U.S. […]