Amazon and Energy Northwest have named the proposed small modular reactor (SMR) facility in Washington state the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility.
The companies hope to construct the proposed SMR in the next five years and bring the first SMR to the Pacific Northwest, according to Energy Northwest’s Thursday press release. The company also selected AtkinsRéalis to be the project’s technical advisor.
Energy Northwest announced a collaboration with X-Energy and Amazon in 2024 to build Xe-100s to provide electricity to Amazon via power purchase agreement.
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has received a $500,000 grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to assist in pioneering work to use artificial intelligence (AI) and strengthen cybersecurity for nuclear power plants.
UTEP’s project is designed to tackle three innovations: forming new structures of plant networks, creating an AI-powered monitoring system that acts like a digital security guard and providing a virtual testing ground for the plant’s critical systems, according to its Thursday press release.
The three-year project will create new opportunities for UTEP’s undergraduate and graduate students and give them hands-on experience with AI research.
Nano Nuclear will hold a ceremony Oct. 24 at the Grainer College of Engineering the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to begin drilling work for its KRONOS microreactor.
The KRONOS microreactor is made to be portable and produce up to 15 megawatts of electricity and 45 megawatt of thermal energy. The New York, N.Y.-based microreactor developer plans to submit its construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the first quarter of 2026, according to its Tuesday press release.
Nano Nuclear and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign agreed to build a KRONOS research reactor on the campus in April.