Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

Revenue rose at Centrus, Bethesda, Md., in the fourth quarter, which the uranium broker and enrichment technology developer attributed to the low-enriched uranium segment and higher uranium prices, even though net income was down. For the full year, Centrus experienced a rise in revenue at $442 million compared to $320.2 million in the prior year, […]

The day after being sworn in as secretary of energy, self-described nerd Chris Wright said updating the U.S. nuclear arsenal, increasing civilian nuclear power and cleaning up Manhattan Project sites are among his priorities at the Department of Energy. It is vital to “modernize America’s nuclear stockpile,” Wright told DOE staffers during a Wednesday introductory […]

President Donald Trump has nominated a veteran federal executive Theodore (Ted) Garrish to be the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy. Garrish has been assistant secretary for nuclear power previously, and has generally been a fixture around DOE and the nuclear energy circuit for more than three decades, according to his bio. His […]

Centrus Energy signed a long-term agreement to supply Korea’s nuclear reactor fleet with low-enriched uranium from the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, the company announced Wednesday. Amir Vexler, president and CEO of Centrus, met with Whang Jooho, president and CEO of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, to sign the contract, according to a LinkedIn […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no big environmental harm should result from Holtec International’s proposed restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich. Between now and March 3, the NRC is taking public comment on its draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact, according to a Federal Register […]

Alex Fitzsimmons, who previously held executive jobs at the Department of Energy and the private sector has been appointed DOE chief of staff under Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Fitzsimmons announced his chief of staff job last week on his LinkedIn page and introduced Wright Wednesday morning when the energy secretary gave his first address […]

Texas A&M University announced Tuesday it would offer land to four advanced nuclear reactor companies to build small modular reactors. According to a press release by the university, reactor manufacturers have been looking for a piece of land large enough to build clusters of reactors to generate a power supply “needed for artificial intelligence endeavors, […]

The Senate voted 59-to-38 Monday evening to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Wright is CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, a publicly-traded company that provides services and technology to the oil and natural gas industry. Wright’s confirmation was expected given he was not considered one of the more controversial picks so […]

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) panel will hear oral arguments Feb. 12 on the potential restart of the  Holtec Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel proceedings in Rockville, Md., will be open to the public. Information on how to listen to the oral arguments can be found here. […]

The Donald Trump administration is replacing most members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, sources told Exchange Monitor late last week. Two sources within the Department of Energy weapons complex told the Monitor the White House asked for the resignation of nearly all members of the 11-member board charged with independent scientific peer reviews […]

Florida-based NextEra Energy said during its fourth quarter earnings report Friday it is shooting for a 2028 restart of its Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa. “Recently, the company filed notice with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to request a licensing change—an important first step in establishing the regulatory pathway to restore the facility’s operating […]

The federal government, Texas and landowners are among those filing briefs in a Supreme Court battle on if the Nuclear Regulatory Commission exceeded its authority when it licensed a private company to store 5,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel in the Permian Basin. On March 5, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments […]

The White House this week invited employees of the federal government, including those connected with nuclear energy, weapons and cleanup, to take something akin to a buyout, by submitting a “deferred resignation.” . In a memo dubbed “fork in the road” the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said federal employees can submit deferred resignations by […]

The Senate overwhelmingly voted Thursday evening to confirm former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) to be secretary of interior, and also took a step closer to a confirmation vote on Secretary of Energy nominee Chris Wright.  Burgum, who would also lead President Donald Trump’s National Energy Council, easily won confirmation to head the Interior […]

President Donald Trump (R) on Monday ordered federal agencies to pause distribution of funds appropriated by his predecessor’s signature stimulus bills, including funds intended to jumpstart a domestic uranium refining industry. “All agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) or the Infrastructure Investment […]

Sens. Catherin Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) last week reintroduced a bill to prohibit the Department of Energy from siting a nuclear-waste disposal facility without the consent of state governments. The latest version of the Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act was introduced a little under a week before Donald Trump (R) was sworn […]

The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday endorsed the nomination of Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright to be secretary of energy by 15-to-5, with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Wash.) being one of the five Democrats to vote against the executive. The nominations of both Wright and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) […]

The Department of Energy is putting the brakes on most contract solicitations, reports and personnel moves, Acting Secretary of Energy Ingrid Kolb said this week. In a Monday memo, viewed by Exchange Monitor, Kolb said most contract procurements of $100,000 or more were to be put on hold as were most loan guarantees, hiring, promotions and […]

President Donald Trump (R) on Monday made David Wright the chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Wright was one of a large number of designations the White House announced in a statement mere hours after Trump took the oath of office for the second time. Wright succeeds Christopher Hanson, who had been chairman for much of President […]

Among the flurry of executive orders President Donald Trump signed Monday after being sworn in are measures to implement a federal hiring freeze and telling government staff to return to in-person work. “Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate […]

Opponents of commercial interim storage of spent nuclear fuel flooded the Supreme Court this week with briefs ahead of oral arguments scheduled for the spring. Those filing friends of the court briefings include: 10 U.S. states; members of Texas’ congressional delegation, led by both of its U.S. senators; four interest groups; and the city of […]

James Danly, who served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during Donald Trump’s first administration, is the Republican president-elect’s pick to be deputy secretary of energy the second time around, various news outlets reported over the weekend. A military veteran, Danly currently heads the energy regulatory branch of the Skadden Arps law firm and briefly chaired the […]

Leaders of the House Appropriations Committee announced subcommittee rosters for the 119th Congress this week, revealing more continuity than change on subcommittees affecting the Department of Energy. There are some additions and departures, but leadership remains the same for the subcommittee that writes the first draft of DOE’s annual spending bill, according to Wednesday press […]

Friends of the Earth this week withdrew a federal lawsuit seeking to stop payment of $1.1 billion federal bailout of California’s last nuclear power plant, court papers show. The judge in the case on Thursday dismissed the suit without prejudice, meaning the environmentalists could sue again. The group dropped the suit, filed in April, after […]

Jennifer Granholm, the 16th U.S. secretary of energy, formally said goodbye to DOE staff Thursday and the Joe Biden White House announced Ingrid Kolb, the head of the agency’s management office, will become acting secretary effective at noon Monday. Acting DOE officials will mind the stores until President-elect Donald Trump gets his picks confirmed by […]

Christopher Wright, the energy executive President-elect Donald Trump chose to lead the Department of Energy, wants to find a permanent storage site for radioactive waste, he said Tuesday in a Senate hearing. “I will work with you and with Senators across the country to find solutions for long-term disposal of nuclear waste and I agree […]

Approving the restart of a Michigan nuclear plant by August will be “demanding,” federal regulators said Tuesday, and there is more work ahead than the plant’s owner may realize. That was the takeaway from senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff during their hybrid public meeting at commission headquarters in Rockville, Md., with Holtec International, owner of the Palisades […]