Publications: Nuclear Energy & Radwaste Monitor

The Department of Energy’s Office of Isotope Research and Development and Production (IRP) needs to implement better practices for managing critical isotopes in the U.S. market, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week. In a July 23 report, GAO said IRP, a subagency in DOE’s Office of Science, which is the sole domestic supplier […]

Despite the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses role in waste disposal, the Department of Energy will still likely need one to two deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) said recently.  The NWTRB, in a July 24 letter to Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish, discussed the nation’s […]

Rian Bahran, the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy deputy assistant secretary for nuclear reactors, left DOE last week and joined microreactor developer Antares Nuclear. Bahran, with DOE since January 2025, is starting a new job as the chief nuclear officer at Antares. In his new role, he will lead the company’s “nuclear operations, […]

The Donald Trump White House has drafted a memo to Congress, pushing for legislation to remove Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the sole site for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The 1987 amendments of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act established Yucca Mountain as the sole repository for high-level waste. However, plans for Yucca were […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed changes to its transportation regulations in preparation for the development of microreactor technologies. The proposed rulemaking, announced on July 22, would modify Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 71 – or 10 CFR Part 71 – and update package approval requirements suitable for microreactors and new fuel types. “America’s […]

Constellation Energy, Blue Energy and NANO Nuclear have formally expressed interest in building new nuclear energy in Illinois. The three nuclear entities responded to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s (D) notice of inquiry that was conducted by the Illinois Commerce Commission through a February executive order. That gubernatorial action set out a goal of adding at […]

ARC Clean Technology and Battelle Energy Alliance have entered into a partnership that is aimed to deploy ARC’s ARC-100 small modular reactor at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. Battelle Energy Alliance is DOE’s management contractor for INL. According to ARC’s Tuesday press release, the agreement will create a multi-year framework to support the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved Holtec International’s license termination plan for the decommissioning of Oyster Creek Generating Station in New Jersey, the company said Thursday. Holtec said in a press release this regulatory approval opens the door for it to move forward with plans to build four small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Oyster Creek […]

South Carolina would consider deep borehole disposal of radioactive spent nuclear fuel as part of a federal nuclear lifecycle hub program, the state Department of Commerce told the Department of Energy earlier this year. That is according to a news release last week from the Savannah River Site Watch nuclear watchdog group, following a response […]

After two days of debate, the House’s version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House floor mainly on party lines at 216-212. The defense policy bill, which also sets spending caps for certain defense-related appropriations, would authorize $32.76 billion in funding for the Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Marine Minerals Administration have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Wednesday to create a framework for potential nuclear reactors to be built on the ocean.  The possible reactors would be particularly deployed on the Outer Continental Shelf, which the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) defines as “all submerged lands […]

John Kirkpatrick, Urenco USA’s managing director, is stepping down from his position in the fall, Urenco USA said Thursday in announcing several management changes. Kirkpatrick has been with Urenco USA since 2024. According to the company’s press release,  With his departure, the company has appointed Jody Blackshear, its current enrichment director at Urenco’s uranium enrichment […]

A new opinion article published Tuesday on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists website argued that concerns over plutonium contained in spent fuel from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant remain unresolved after attacks on the plant.  A Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists commentary discussed how to manage plutonium produced at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, […]

Blue Energy, a developer of what it calls “prefabricated” nuclear power plants, received a strategic equity investment from Constellation Energy’s venture arm Constellation Technology Ventures, the company said July 16. Blue Energy, founded in 2023, said in a press release that the investment from Constellation shows growing confidence in the company’s strategy to use shipyard […]

The nuclear fusion industry enjoyed a big increase in funding this year, despite most fusion technologies not being ready to deliver commercial electricity until the 2030s, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) said in a report. In the FIA’s 2026 Global Fusion Industry report, published July 13, the non-profit organization said the industry received $4.4 billion […]

Standard Nuclear is a publicly traded company after announcing its initial public offering (IPO) late last week. The company started trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “STDN” on July 16 and closed the offering the next day, according to a press release. The Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based advanced nuclear fuel manufacturer […]

The Department of Energy plans to formally announce its selections for the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus program later this month and the states of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah could be winners, a senior industry source told Exchange Monitor this week. When reached Monday a DOE Office of Nuclear Energy spokesperson would not comment on what […]

ROCKVILLE, Md. – With the completion of the Department of Energy’s reactor pilot program on July 4, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission turns its attention to creating a formulaic pathway for reactor designs authorized by other agencies. In April, NRC published a proposed rulemaking that would create an additional licensing pathway for reactors authorized by DOE […]

The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration awarded a five-year, $31 million grant to an Idaho, Wyoming-based nuclear initiative this week. The Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor Tech Hub initiative led by the Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium received the grant Monday. The consortium is made up of more than 45 organizations, including the Department of Energy’s […]

WASHINGTON – As the Genesis Mission Summit kicked off here Wednesday, the Department of Energy announced its selection of 278 projects under the Genesis Mission request for applications (RFAs). The Genesis Mission, established through President Donald Trump’s November 2025 executive order, aims to bring use of artificial intelligence (AI) into DOE’s operations and real-life applications. […]

A Virginia-based environmental group claims Florida-based NextEra Energy’s merger plan with Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Energy is incomplete and seeks to challenge the acquisition. On Monday, Clean Virginia said in a press release the merger petition, as it is currently written, is incomplete and that the companies need to complete their application. It urged a Virginia […]

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit this week denied a challenge brought by Beyond Nuclear and the Sierra Club to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) process for reviewing reactor license renewals. “Petitioners argue that the commission did not adequately consider how aging components and climate change affect the risk of […]

The city of Oak Ridge, Tenn. is still looking for a replacement site for a municipal airport after the original location was tapped for nuclear industry expansion, City Manager Randy Hemann told Exchange Monitor Thursday. In an emailed statement with the Monitor, Hemann said the city is still engaged in considering alternate sites that “meet […]

The Department of Energy has conditionally selected Radiant Nuclear and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Thursday to receive high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). This round of HALEU allocations, under DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, will support NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom mission, which aims to take a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars, and Radiant’s microreactor, Kaleidos, […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee who oversees Savannah River Site in his state, died suddenly Saturday, Graham’s office said Sunday. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement early […]

Two California Democrats used a House subcommittee hearing this week to advance legislation on nuclear fuel recycling.  On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee held a markup hearing for six nuclear energy-related bills. Multiple bills pertained to codifying changes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing processes. All six were successfully advanced out of […]

The Democratic Party’s support for nuclear power legislation could be in jeopardy if the Donald Trump administration attempts to fire another commissioner from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said this week. Pallone’s comments during the Tuesday House Energy and Commerce’s Energy subcommittee markup hearing on six nuclear bills came after the June […]

The Department of Energy renewed its contract with UChicago Argonne this week to continue to manage and operate its Argonne National Laboratory. UChicago Argonne, which manages Argonne for DOE’s Office of Science, has a new five-year contract that will go into effect on Oct. 1. UChicago Argonne, a limited liability company formed by the University […]