Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the design certification for Westinghouse’s AP1000 large reactor until 2046, Westinghouse announced on Aug. 26. NRC issued a final rule changing the durations of its design certifications, a regulatory approval of a complete nuclear power plant design, from 15 to 40 years.  Westinghouse’s AP1000, currently the only operating generation […]

X-Energy has entered into a strategic partnership with Amazon, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power and Doosan to speed deployment of small modular reactors to meet growing data center demands in the United States. The Rockville, Md. based advanced nuclear company announced the four-company collaboration in its Monday press release. KHNP is the primary South Korean […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has established a consortium to work with U.S. nuclear fuel companies in an effort to increase domestic fuel availability. Under DOE’s new Defense Production Act (DPA) Consortium, voluntary agreements will allow industry collaboration to create plans to secure the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain capacity throughout the […]

BWX Technologies has formed a new subsidiary, BWXT Advanced Fuels, dedicated to the commercialization of advanced nuclear fuel, the company announced Aug. 21. The new subsidiary will pursue partnerships to deliver commercial nuclear fuel for upcoming advanced nuclear reactors, BWXT said in its Aug. 21 press release. BWXT Advanced Fuels will focus on guaranteeing the […]

After three years in decommissioning, the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan is on the brink of restarting, Holtec announced Tuesday. According to Holtec’s Tuesday press release, Palisades was granted operational status by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday. The Michigan nuclear plant is the first U.S. plant to move from decommissioning back to operational status, […]

Centrus Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with two South Korean companies to explore investment in Centrus’ uranium enrichment facilities at the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio. The MOU between Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), POSCO International and Centrus is non-binding. But the deal also calls for the three companies […]

The Reuters news service reported last week that President Donald Trump’s administration plans to tap plutonium left over from dismantled nuclear weapons to help power commercial nuclear reactors in the United States. The news service reported Trump could have the Department of Energy make 20 metric tons available for U.S. nuclear power plants. The article […]

Radwaste & Materials Monitor will not be published on Friday Aug. 15, 2025 and Friday Aug. 22, 2025, as part of the Exchange Monitor’s annual August recess.

Earnings fell at Centrus Energy, based in Bethesda, Maryland, in the second quarter, which the uranium broker and enrichment technology developer attributed to a decrease in the volume of uranium sold. Net earnings for the second quarter ended June 30 were $28.9 million, or $1.59 a diluted share, down from $30.6 million, or $1.89 a […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a license amendment for Urenco USA’s enrichment facility in New Mexico, the agency said on LinkedIn Thursday. The approval allows Urenco to produce higher-enriched uranium-235 to fuel advanced reactors. “We first gave Urenco permission to start making higher-enriched U-235 last December,” the post said. “Our most recent approval lifts the […]

Earnings rose at Amentum, Chantilly, Va., during the past quarter, which the company attributed in part to the White House and congress prioritizing nuclear power and national defense.   Net earnings for the quarter ended June 27 were $10 million, or $0.04 a share, up from a $26 million loss, or a loss of $(0.29) a […]

Reform at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is necessary but it must be done without compromising its independence, a Washington D.C.-based think tank wrote in a  July 31 commentary. Former NRC chair Stephen Burns contributed to the piece by Third Way, a national think tank focused on policy and politics. Burns recently spoke at a House […]

Transportation Secretary and Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy confirmed in a Tuesday press conference that NASA has expedited plans for deploying a nuclear reactor on the moon. The confirmation comes after several major news outlets reported on Monday of the space agency’s plans. “This is not a new concept,” Duffy said during the Tuesday Department […]

X-Energy has awarded Clark Construction Group a $48.2-million contract for the building phase of its advanced nuclear fuel fabrication facility, TX-1, in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The contract award, encompassing Phase 2A of the facility construction, will include the completion of the core shell of the 214,812 square foot facility, according to X-Energy’s Tuesday press release. […]

A California-based environmental group wants Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) to fight the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s recent decisions to forgo additional seismic risk evaluation at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California. Diablo Canyon is a two-unit nuclear plant in San Obispo, Calif. and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric. The company submitted a license renewal […]

The Department of Energy said Monday it has picked Standard Nuclear of Oak Ridge, Tenn., as the first company to participate in a Donald Trump administration pilot program to develop nuclear fuel production lines to support advanced reactors. In the Aug. 4 press release, DOE said Standard Nuclear has been “conditionally selected” as the first company to take […]

A California Democrat and a New York Republican in areas with retired reactors are having another go at passing a House of Representatives bill aimed at increasing safety oversight at nuclear power plants undergoing decommissioning. Reps. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) recently said they would reintroduce the Increasing Nuclear Safety Protocols for Extended […]

The Department of Energy has released its fifth loan reimbursement valued at $83.2 million to Holtec to support for the company’s restart efforts at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The fifth loan installment comes a bit over a month after the fourth loan guarantee, which was worth around $100 million. According to DOE’s Thursday […]

After being confirmed by the Senate on July 28, David Wright was sworn in as chairman of the the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Friday afternoon. Wright’s prior term expired at the end of June.  In an Aug. 1 emailed statement to ExchangeMonitor from a NRC spokesperson, Wright said: “Earlier this afternoon, I was sworn in […]

Earnings rose at BWX Technologies, Lynchburg, Va. in the second quarter, which the company attributed to strong performances in government operations. “We had exceptionally strong second quarter 2025 financial results driven by solid operational performance and pacing of work, particularly in Government Operations, which was complemented by robust bookings in both segments, leading to record […]

Earnings rose at AtkinsRéalis Group Montreal, Canada in the second quarter, which the engineering company attributed to strong demand for nuclear services and an after-tax gain from the sale of its minority interest in an Ontario highway. Net earnings for the second quarter ended June 30 were (CAN) $2.3 billion (US $1.67 billion) or (CAN) […]

Local officials are exploring the viability of a small modular reactor (SMR) at the Denver International Airport campus. Denver International Airport has issued solicitations to conduct an SMR feasibility study, according to the airport’s Wednesday press release. The study is expected to cost up to $1.25 million and could take six to 12 months to […]

Earnings rose at Fluor, Irving, Texas, in the second quarter, despite what the engineering and construction company described as hesitancy in world trade markets. Over the next 12 months, Fluor expects to pursue Department of Energy contracts for work at the Savannah River Plutonium Pits Project and to support high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) nuclear fuel […]

Earnings rose at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Knoxville, Tenn., in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, which the federal utility attributed to higher rates and sales. The net earnings of the third quarter of fiscal 2025 ended June 30 were $212 million, up from $181 million, in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Quarterly […]

Constellation Energy’s Nine Mile Point Nuclear Plant in Oswego, N.Y. is being considered as a potential deployment site for an advanced nuclear reactor, a New York television station WSTM reported July 25.  Last month New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), announced plans to deploy an advanced nuclear plant that can produce at least 1,000 megawatts. […]

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and a privately-held artificial intelligence company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week to use AI to streamline licensing for new nuclear projects.  The agreement was signed with California-based Atomic Canyon at the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop held in Knoxville, Tenn July 22-23. The MOU […]

Tennessee lawmakers recently modified certain tax laws related to nuclear facilities, including Orano USA’s multi-billion dollar uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge.  In Senate Bill 885/House Bill 1133, sponsored by state senator Shane Reeves (R) and   state representative Clark Boyd (R), expanded the definition of “certified green energy production facility” to include nuclear energy […]

The U.S. Senate confirmed David Wright’s nomination to serve a new five-year term with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after a 50 – 39 vote Monday night. Nearly all Republican senators voted in support of Wright’s confirmation, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) did not vote. All 39 votes against Wright’s confirmation […]

A federal district judge in Texas has agreed to suspend proceedings until Sept. 29 in a lawsuit by Texas, Utah and Last Energy that challenges Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing for small reactors. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle issued the latest extension in the case June 30 at the request of the parties. “Since the […]