Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

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. […]

The United States will “take no shortcuts on safety” when it comes to accelerated deployment of new U.S. nuclear technology, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday at the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. “We want the world to know that when you engage in civil nuclear cooperation with the […]

Amentum has been awarded £26 million ($35 million US) under a four-year contract to provide specialist services for the UK’s nuclear waste management association. Amentum will be one of the suppliers on all four lots of the United Kingdom’s Integrated Waste Management Specialist Nuclear Services Framework, according to Amentum’s Tuesday’s press release.  Under the framework, […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A panel of nuclear fusion experts urged a subcommittee of the House Science Committee Thursday to support a major investment in nuclear fusion in order to keep up with China. During the House Science Subcommittee on Energy hearing, the panel heard testimony from Oak Ridge National Laboratory director of fusion energy division […]

Most of President Donald Trump’s picks to be leaders in the Department of Energy nuclear complex were finally confirmed Thursday 51-47, some after waiting on the bench since May after being voted through at the committee level. The nuclear complex nominees confirmed en bloc this week are: Ted Garrish, the nominee to head DOE’s Office […]

WASHINGTON – House Republicans Friday morning passed a short term stopgap spending bill to run through Nov. 21 that would keep funding at fiscal 2025 levels aside from exceptions including the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities. The final vote was 217-212, with two Republicans voting against the bill and one Democrat voting for the […]

Global Laser Enrichment said this week it has completed its large-scale enrichment demonstration testing at its Test Loop facility in Wilmington, N.C.  After beginning its demonstration testing in May, GLE said its SILEX laser-based uranium enrichment process is ready for commercial use, according to its Tuesday press release. “We believe the enrichment activities conducted over […]

The United States and the United Kingdom concluded a joint summit Thursday by putting out a memorandum of understanding on “technology prosperity,” including cooperation on issues from nuclear energy to artificial intelligence. While the deal between the Trans-Atlantic allies seeks to deepen collaboration on all-things-nuclear, it also sets out a goal of shedding dependence on […]

Curio recently announced the completion of a laboratory-scale demonstration for its nuclear fuel recycling technology, NuCycle, in collaboration with four Department of Energy National Laboratories. DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington state, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee and Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico contributed to the […]

Urenco USA has started producing low-enriched uranium with its second new cascade of gas centrifuges at its enrichment facility in New Mexico, the company said Wednesday. Urenco USA, an affiliate of the European Urenco Group, said it started the cascade ahead of schedule and on budget, according to its Wednesday press release. The newest centrifuge […]

The Department of Energy announced recently it will provide over $35 million toward 42 projects with aims to advance emerging energy technologies at DOE national laboratories related to nuclear energy and artificial intelligence. The awards were made through DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund, which has a program in fiscal 2025 called the Core Laboratory Infrastructure for […]

Deep Fission has raised $30 million in private funding to finance the deployment of its underground advanced nuclear reactor, the company announced Monday. The funding comes weeks after Berkeley, Calif.-based nuclear technology developer was named as one of the 10 companies selected for the Department of Energy’s reactor pilot program. The DOE program aims to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a hybrid meeting on Sept. 17 to discuss Holtec Decommissioning International’s licensing termination plan for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generation Station in New Jersey. The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time at Lacey Township Municipal Building at 818 Lacey Road in Forked River, […]

David Wright has been ceremonially sworn in as Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair earlier this week. Wright has been officially back with the nuclear regulatory agency since early August after being confirmed by the Senate on July 28. He returns on a new five-year term that concludes on June 30, 2030.  His return in August marked […]

Constellation has appointed Chris Mudrick as its chief nuclear officer, effective Sept. 29.  Mudrick, who currently serves as Constellation’s senior vice president of generation growth, will replace Dave Rhoades, who is retiring at the end of the year after serving in the lead nuclear role since 2021. Rhoades has worked at Constellation for more than […]

The Department of Energy this week announced $134 million in funding towards two fusion energy-based technology programs. DOE has allocated $128 million towards Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) collaboratives, according to the Wednesday press release. It also allocated $6.1 million for the Innovative Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program. Nuclear fusion is a source of […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agreed to review the first two parts of Fermi America’s combined license application. The application contained sufficient design information for a license to construct four Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at the proposed site in Amarillo, Texas, according to NRC’s Monday press release. NRC said it does not anticipate any safety concerns […]

The Senate Thursday, after a couple tries and failed attempts, finally voted 53-43 to invoke cloture on restoring en bloc consideration of President Donald Trump’s nominations. The move has implications for the president’s nominees to head nuclear-related offices within the Department of Energy, all of whom have cleared committee but await floor votes. Brandon Williams […]

The Department of Energy has published a request for application seeking deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and power generation projects at its Idaho National Laboratory site. Applicants will be responsible for constructing, operating and decommissioning each infrastructure project and must secure utility interconnection agreements for new electricity generation and storage systems, according to […]