Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

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 […]

Ontario Power Generation has received approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to construct and operate the Pickering Component Storage Structure at the Pickering Waste Management Facility. The Pickering nuclear plant is located near Toronto.  The Pickering Component Storage unit is required for storage of low- intermediate-level waste that results from refurbishment of Pickering Nuclear […]

Chief Nuclear Officer Tim Rausch has announced his resignation from Tennessee Valley Authority, effective by March 1, 2026, according to a July 14 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.  In his role as chief nuclear officer, Rausch is overseeing seven TVA nuclear reactors at: Browns Ferry in Alabama, Sequoyah in Tennessee, and Watts Bar in Tennessee. […]

Westinghouse and Emirates Nuclear Energy Company recently entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore speeding up deployment of AP1000 reactors in the United States. Emirates Nuclear Energy Company, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, signed the agreement with Westinghouse in Washington, D.C. on Friday July 25. Westinghouse said the MOU supports President Donald Trump’s goal […]

Second-term commissioner Annie Caputo has decided to resign from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an NRC spokesperson confirmed Tuesday morning.  Caputo’s resignation announcement comes the day after David Wright was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on NRC for a new five-year term. It also came a day before the White House announced the nomination […]

President Donald Trump this week nominated Ho Nieh, currently an executive with Southern Co.’s nuclear branch, to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The nomination of Nieh, who formerly worked in a staff management position at both NRC and the Paris-based Nuclear Energy Agency, was announced in a Wednesday press release by the White […]

Deep Isolation announced Thursday it is moving to become a public company and merge with Aspen-1 Acquisition. The Berkeley, Calif. based nuclear disposal technology company has closed a reverse merger transaction with the U.S.-based blank check company Aspen-1 Acquisition, according to Deep Isolation’s Thursday press release. A reverse merger is a transaction where a private […]

The United Kingdom government has approved £38 billion ($51 billion USD) for the Sizewell C Nuclear Power Plant project. The final investment decision from the UK government has given the green to Sizewell C plant. The approval marks the first time since 1995 that the UK has opened a nuclear plant as the existing nuclear […]

BWX Technologies has begun manufacturing the reactor core of Project Pele’s microreactor at its Innovation Campus  in Lynchburg, Va., the company announced Thursday, in a press release. Pele is a mobile gas-cooled demonstration microreactor with the ability to produce 1.5 megawatts. The microreactor, which will be used by the Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold two public meetings on July 31 and Aug. 6 to discuss the potential restart of Crane Clean Energy Center, formerly known as Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, in Middletown, PA. The July 31 meeting will be held in-person at Capitol Union Building, on the Penn State Harrisburg campus, in […]

The United States Senate appears headed toward a Monday July 28 confirmation vote on David Wright’s reappointment as a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Next Monday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Wright to be a NRC commissioner for a five-year term that would […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite projected rising power demand, pro-nuclear White House orders and increased investor interest, many challenges remain for a “nuclear renaissance” to take place in the United States, an expert panel said here Wednesday. The nuclear industry has at best a “mixed” record on cost and schedule performance on nuclear power plants, said […]