Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) announced creation of a state task force on advancing nuclear energy Sept. 22 at a Western Governors’ Association’s workshop at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
The task force will explore workforce initiatives to grow the nuclear industry, private-public partnership opportunities for commercialization and research, and evaluate the feasibility of deploying advanced nuclear technologies in Idaho.
The force will be composed of “no more than 20 members”, Little said, appointed by the governor. Members will include the director of INL, state congressmen, representatives from universities, public and private companies and more.
Connecticut has been granted certain authority to oversee radioactive materials, becoming the 40th Nuclear Regulatory Commission agreement state.
According to Connecticut Gov. Edward “Ned” Lamont’s (D) Sept. 25 press release, the agreement gives the state oversight over radioactive materials used by more than 100 businesses in the research, manufacturing and medical fields.
Under the agreement, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will oversee the licensing and enforce the in-state use of the radioactive materials in education, medicine and industry.
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) this week published a request seeking proposals from contractors looking to build and power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers at Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C.
The calls for “entities interested in entering a long-term lease” located at Savannah River Site. Interested parties would be involved in designing, financing, developing, constructing and operating a data center. The deadline for proposals is Dec. 5.
An industry event to provide more information is expected in the near term, the Tuesday NNSA press release said.
Dominion Energy plans to seek license renewal for the Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Conn.
In an emailed statement to Exchange Monitor, Dominion Energy director of state policy at Millstone told the publication that the utility company intends to apply in 2027 and hopes to receive the license in 2029.
Millstone, the sole nuclear plant in Connecticut, celebrated its 50th year in operation earlier this week. The power plant’s Unit 2 began operation in 1975 and with Unit 3, the power plant generates 2,000 megawatts and nearly half of the state’s electricity.
Deep Isolation announced Wednesday it has appointed Christa Steele to its board of directors, effective immediately.
Steele most recently served as the interim CEO for BALCO Holdings. She also served as president and CEO of Mechanics Bank.
“Nuclear energy is entering an unprecedented renaissance and Deep Isolation has the technology to help address a major unmet need, the disposal of spent nuclear fuel,” Steele said in Deep Isolation’s Wednesday press release. “I look forward to contributing to the company’s strategic growth and operational excellence.”
Top management for the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office should use available information to identify the scope and cost of remediating contaminated soil and legacy landfills, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last week.
DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) should also use that information to prioritize work at nuclear sites, GAO said in the Sept. 26 report.
Better information would enable “EM headquarters, DOE, regulators, and Congress to better weigh the risks and prioritize the resources needed to meet soil and legacy landfill cleanup requirements across EM sites,” GAO said.