Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

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 […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The nuclear projects deadlines set out by President Donald Trump’s administration’s executive actions are aggressive but necessary, a panel of nuclear industry experts and members said Wednesday. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Deputy Assistant Secretary Michael Goff, Department of Defense Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army Jeff Waksman, U.S. Nuclear Industry Council […]

The Paris-based Nuclear Energy Agency released its third edition of its Small Modular Reactor Dashboard on Tuesday and its newest edition identified 127 SMR technologies being developed around the globe.  As NEA officials said last week, out of the 127 SMR technologies cited, 74 of them are in active development and are given comprehensive overviews […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Industry analysts told a subcommittee of the Government Oversight Committee Tuesday that Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) standards are slowing down advanced nuclear deployment.  At the same time, a former NRC chairman said stripping NRC of its independence could undermine public confidence in the safety of nuclear power plants. Alex Epstein, founder of […]

Oklo has recently entered into two energy-based agreements that utilize its advanced nuclear Aurora powerhouse, one involves teaming up with an oilfield services company that was founded by now Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The Santa Clara, Calif. based advanced nuclear company announced a strategic partnership with Liberty Energy, an oil-based services company headquartered in Denver, […]

Holtec’s Palisades Nuclear Plant is inching closer to potential restart as ​the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved six licensing actions Thursday for the Michigan plant.   NRC staff has officially approved Holtec’s request to change Palisades facility license from a decommissioning status back to an operating license. NRC has also found no significant environmental impact. “The […]

The Department of Energy has picked four nuclear complex sites to be used for deployment of new artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. DOE announced the Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Kentucky and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina will host the AI data centers, according […]

Oklo has completed its Nuclear Regulatory Commission pre-readiness assessment of Phase 1 of the combined license application for its Aurora project at Idaho National Laboratory. The Santa Clara, Calif. based advanced nuclear company, has been working with NRC on the application since 2016. The company intends to submit its full combined license application to the […]

The Department of Energy has announced a new pilot program to strengthen the U.S. supply chains for nuclear fuel and support the expedition of the development of new advanced reactors. The initiative is intended to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials, while allowing the private sector to invest […]

Oklo has selected Kiewit Nuclear Solutions to lead construction of its first commercial Aurora nuclear powerhouse at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Kiewit Nuclear Solutions., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, will support the design and construction of the Aurora powerhouse at INL under a master services agreement, according to Oklo’s Tuesday press […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently accepted  for review the Tennessee Valley Authority’s construction permit application for the Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn.  NRC told TVA in a July 9 letter it has completed the acceptance review for the second part of the construction permit application. The regulator previously completed the first half […]

The Paris-based Nuclear Energy Agency is monitoring 74 small modular reactors across the globe that are under active development and not merely paper projects, officials said Wednesday. The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), a branch of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), used an online webinar and press conference to show off its new […]

Kairos Power has installed the reactor vessel for its third Engineering Test Unit at its campus in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the company announced this week. The third Engineering Test Unit vessel, which is 14-foot-tall, marks a construction milestone for its non-nuclear reactor mockup, Kairos said in its Tuesday press release. The third Engineering building is […]

Terra Innovatum and GSR III Acquisition Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding with Rock City Admiral Parkway Development for Rock City to host deployment of Terra’s SOLO micro-modular reactor in Illinois. Rock City is a six-million square foot industrial park located in Valmeyer, Ill. The MOU will grant Terra Innovatum, a micro reactor developer, dedicated […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy miscalculated during the selection process of its High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) Demonstration Project, the Department’s Office of Inspector General found in an audit. In a July 2 audit report the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found the Office of Nuclear Energy inappropriately limited competition during its pre-award […]

The full House Appropriations Committee passed a spending plan Thursday night that would boost spending at both the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy’s nuclear energy office in fiscal 2026.  The measure, which passed late Thursday by a 35 to 27 vote, appears to keep in place the package advanced days before, on […]

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) voted against David Wright’s renomination to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week citing concerns that NRC is losing its independence.  Wright’s nomination passed out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in a 10 to 9 vote on July 9.  All of the Republicans on the committee voted yes, […]

Westinghouse hopes to start construction of 10 new AP1000 reactors by 2030, the company’s interim CEO Dan Sumner said at a conference in Pittsburgh this week. At the first-ever Pennsylvania Energy Summit and Expo, hosted by Sen. David McCormick (R-Pa.), Sumner said Westinghouse is reacting to President Donald Trump’s executive order and partnering with companies […]

Global Laser Enrichment has submitted its full license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in Paducah, Ky., the company said last week. The Wilmington, N.C. based company that licenses laser enrichment technology owned by Australia’s Silex Systems recently filed in its safety analysis report to complete its full license […]

Several publicly-traded companies doing business within the Department of Energy weapons complex are scheduled to report earnings in the coming weeks. Here is a rundown of currently scheduled earnings releases and conference calls.  Aug. 1 : Fluor, Irving, Texas, is scheduled to report its financial performance for the quarter ending June 30 on Aug. 1. […]

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has completed the second phase of its vendor design review for the ARC-100, concluding that there are no fundamental barriers to licensing, ARC Clean Technology said. The ARC-100 is a 100-megawatt sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor and is the first advanced reactor of its kind to complete a review of […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has pivoted to a 19-month review schedule of TerraPower’s construction permit application for its Natrium plant in Kemmerer, Wyo. TerraPower’s Kemmerer Unit 1 project’s construction permit application review is to be completed by Dec. 31, according to the NRC July 1 letter to the company. The agency expects to have TerraPower’s […]

TerraPower awarded three U.S. based supplier contracts Wednesday in an effort to support its advanced nuclear project in Kemmerer, Wyo. The Bill Gates-backed advanced nuclear company based in Bellevue, Wash. said this was the fifth round of procurement awards for the Kemmerer Natrium project, according to its Wednesday press release. The suppliers that were awarded […]

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed two bills into law last week designed to further nuclear research and deployment in the state. Senate Bill 124, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 11, will create a board to advance in-state nuclear power and fusion technology and host a Wisconsin nuclear summit. Senate Bill 125, now 2025 Wisconsin Act […]

Several nuclear and energy groups urged Secretary of Energy Chris Wright this week to take action to address the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle in the United States. The Nuclear Energy Institute, Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), Nuclear Industry Council, American Nuclear Society, Decommissioning Plant Coalition, Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition (NWSC), National Association of […]

An independent nuclear regulator is vital in order to preserve confidence in nuclear power in the United States and internationally, three former Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairs said in a recent opinion piece. Former NRC chairs Stephen Burns, Allison Macfarlane and Richard Meserve published an opinion piece on Monday in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, […]

The Senate on Environment and Public Works Committee voted 10 to 9 along party lines Wednesday to advance the re-nomination of David Wright to be a commissioner on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. With the slim passing of Wright’s re-nomination, he will be due to go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote at a […]

The Virginia Department of Energy this week announced plans to explore deployment of an advanced nuclear reactor in southwest Virginia, which is the state’s traditional coal mining region.  “Southwest Virginia has powered our Commonwealth for generations, and now we have the chance to invest in that legacy with the technologies of the future,” Gov. Glenn […]