The fiscal 2027 House Energy and Water Appropriations bill text was released Wednesday and waits to be debated on the House floor.
The bill text and any amendments submitted are available online. While the bill was scheduled to be debated on the House floor this week, debate and votes were postponed.
Under the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy account, this version of the bill would give $1.8 billion to the subagency. Additionally, $2.7 billion would be given to DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission would be allocated $892.3 million under the bill.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission received Constellation Energy’s subsequent license renewal application for R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, N.Y.
According to NRC’s Wednesday press release, Constellation filed its license renewal application on June 17. This application seeks to extend the potential operations life of Ginna’s single 576-megawatt pressurized water reactor from 60 to 80 years.
NRC approved Ginna’s first renewal that extended the reactor’s license from 40 to 60 years in 2004. Ginna’s current license is set to expire in September 2029.
Seth Cohen, the Department of Energy’s chief counsel for nuclear law and policy, announced over the weekend that he is leaving the government.
Since joining the government in May 2025 from the Kirkland & Ellis law firm, Cohen has worked in a variety of positions for DOE, NASA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
During a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing held last September, NRC Commissioner David Wright told lawmakers Cohen made a comment regarding that the NRC was to essentially “rubber stamping” new reactor applications under President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Both Wright and DOE officials immediately rejected that comment when it was made during an internal meeting, Wright said.
Constellation Energy and Walmart signed a long-term power purchase agreement this week for electricity from the utility’s Dresden Clean Energy Center in Morris, Ill.
The agreement includes 176 megawatts of wholesale supply, including 30 megawatts uprate. According to Constellation’s Tuesday press release, Walmart will purchase energy, environmental attributes and capacity through two 15-year terms beginning in 2029 and 2030.
Through the planned uprates at Dresden, Constellation said the agreement will provide enough new power to support Walmart’s high-tech distribution center that is under development in Belvidere, Ill. This marks Walmart’s first nuclear power purchase agreement, according to the release.
Berkeley, Calif.-based small modular reactor developer Deep Fission last week became a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the company said in a press release.
The underground small modular reactor (SMR) developer will trade under the ticker symbol of FISN. Deep Fission said June 17 that the $16 per share pricing of its public offering should yield total gross proceeds of $40 million from 2.5 million shares of its common stock.
The company started trading on June 18 and anticipated the offering to close on Monday, June 22 subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Deep Fission went public after holding its initial public offering (IPO) in May, where it expected its IPO price to be between $24 and $26.
The Department of Energy has approved a move to streamline U.S. civil nuclear exports to Thailand, easing regulatory requirements for American companies seeking to engage in nuclear energy projects in the country.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signed a determination adding Thailand to the list of destinations eligible for “generally authorized” transfers of unclassified civil nuclear technology and assistance under DOE’s Part 810 regulations, according to a June 16 announcement. The change eliminates the need for U.S. companies to obtain specific DOE authorization for many nuclear export activities, reducing review times and administrative burdens.
Thailand joins a group of countries that DOE has determined present a low proliferation risk and maintain strong commitments to nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation standards. Under Part 810, generally authorized destinations are subject to fewer licensing requirements than countries requiring specific authorization. DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration is in charge of administering Part 810 regulations.
Bechtel National said June 19 it has opened an office in Gdańsk, Poland, to support development of Poland’s first nuclear power plant.
The office will serve as an engineering and operations hub for the AP1000 project in Choczewo, with a focus on hiring from the local workforce and working with regional universities and institutions, Bechtel said in a news release.