Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visited the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert Township, Mich. on Thursday, checking in on the United States’ first restart effort.
Wright was joined by the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing Director Gregory Beard, Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Department of Agriculture’s Glen Smith and Holtec’s Kris Singh and Fadi Diya, according to Holtec’s press release. The visit comes nearly a week after Holtec recovered the tipped fuel assembly and resumed fuel loading activities.
Aside from the tipped fuel incident that was corrected, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission also issued a “chilled work environment” at the plant, outlining workers feeling discouraged to bring up safety concerns in two of the plant’s departments. Despite the setbacks, Wright said on his X account the Palisades plant will restart before the end of this year.
Startup company Elementl Power signed a preliminary deal with South Korean investment firm DS Investment Partners to create a development partnership worth up to $750 million, the companies said Monday.
The partnership is aimed to provide a portion of funding needed for up to three of Elementl Power’s projects to meet final investment decisions, assist with regulatory activities and supply chain management, according to Element Power’s press release. The South Korean-led consortium would provide a portion of the funding in exchange for a significant minority ownership stake, Elementl Power said.
Additional financial and strategic investors could join in, as the agreement consists of a letter of intent and term sheet laying out proposed terms at the moment, according to the release. South Korean Samsung C&T Engineering and Construction Group will partake in the consortium as a potential investor.
Berkeley, Calif.-based Deep Fission and Kansas’ Great Plains Development Authority have entered into a 25-year master energy purchase agreement on Oct. 20 that converts the company’s December 2025 letter of intent into a definitive agreement for a commercial project in Kansas.
Under the agreement, if Deep Fission’s project reaches an initial goal of 150 megawatts of electricity for commercial operation by September 30, 2028, then the agreement could allow for the company to build up to 2,000 megawatts by 2031, subject to an additional energy demand, according to the press release. The Great Plains Development Authority will purchase electricity from Deep Fission’s project.
In December 2025, Deep Fission and the Great Plains Development Authority signed an agreement to authorize the reactor company to develop its test reactor in Parsons, Kan. under the Department of Energy’s reactor pilot program.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking to fill two positions on its Advisory Committee on Medical Uses of Isotopes.
According to two Federal Register notices published Tuesday, NRC is calling for nominations for both a practicing interventional radiologist and nuclear pharmacist. The nominations for both of those positions on NRC’s Advisory Committee on Medical Uses of Isotopes are due by Dec. 28.
Individuals interested in the positions must submit their resume or curriculum vitae and cover letter to NRC’s is Sara Hoenig, who can be reached at Sarah.Hoenig@nrc.gov. The Advisory Committee on Medical Uses of Isotopes, made up of 13 members, advises the NRC on regulating the use of radioactive materials in medical settings.
