Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

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 […]

Fermi America and Texas Tech University have agreed to collaborate on a power and data campus in Amarillo, Texas. Co-founded by former Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and his son Griffin Perry, the energy development company Fermi America and Texas Tech intend to build an Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus on around 5,800 acres of […]

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board panel has rejected the latest contentions filed by citizen groups against restart of the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The three-judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) panel ruled on June 20 against the petitioning organizations of Beyond Nuclear, Don’t Waste Michigan, Michigan Safe Energy Future, […]

A dozen universities, two developers of small modular reactors and some national laboratories, have landed Rapid Turnaround Experiment projects with Nuclear Science User Facilities, from the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. The 23 award winners were announced June 26 and DOE said their work would support advanced nuclear deployment and nuclear materials. Rapid […]

California-based Deep Isolation has praised the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council for its plan to address nuclear waste disposal policy in the United States, including establishment of an independent body outside the Department of Energy.  The NIC’s action plan, Action Plan for Transforming the Back End of the U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle, provides an outline for […]

As President Donald Trump’s administration presses the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve more advanced reactors, NRC has a bunch of proposals in the pipeline. Last week during former NRC Chair David Wright’s Senate nomination hearing, he called NRC’s advanced reactor sector of its agency a “shining star”.  Wright credited the Advance Act for directing the […]

Sizewell C has selected three construction companies to build a new nuclear plant in Suffolk, England. Sizewell C has signed a Program Alliance Agreement with construction companies Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics to form the Civil Works Alliance, according to its Monday press release. Within the Civil Works Alliance with Sizewell C, […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright’s term has concluded on Monday and is no longer with the commission, at least temporarily. Wright was originally sworn as a commissioner in May 2018 as he was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term. Wright was renominated on June 16 and underwent a hearing before the […]

The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority to license consolidated interim storage, clears the way for Holtec to move forward on a spent fuel storage site in New Mexico, according to the company. At the same time, however, Holtec said last week major issues remain to be worked out both […]

New York plans to build an advanced nuclear power plant in Upstate New York that can produce “at least one gigawatt of electricity”, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced this week. Hochul has directed the New York Power Authority to develop a zero-emission electricity advanced nuclear plant to support a reliable electric grid, according to Hochul’s […]

The Department of Energy has released its fourth loan reimbursement to Holtec for about $100 million to support efforts to restart the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan.  Secretary of Energy Chris Wright made the announcement this past Friday, saying that the efforts to restart the Palisades plant further align with one of President Donald Trump’s […]

The Department of Energy set out the basics of its test reactor pilot program at its 2025 Industry Day on Wednesday. On June 18 DOE announced a test pilot program to expedite testing advanced nuclear reactors under DOE authority, with the objective to have “at least three reactors” reach criticality by July 4, 2026. DOE […]

Despite the recent executive order to overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, safety will continue to be the independent agency’s highest priority, NRC Chair David Wright told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. “Safety is our strike zone over home plate, it is our North Star and it will continue to be that,” […]