Archive

Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons complex, environmental cleanup program, and national laboratory system. Coverage here tracks DOE budget requests, contract awards, policy decisions, regulatory action, and leadership changes across the agency’s defense and civilian nuclear missions.

  • Walsh makes first Hanford trip with little fanfare

    Tim Walsh, the new head of the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management, made his first visit to DOE’s largest nuclear cleanup site last week, a Washington state newspaper reported. With little fanfare, Walsh, assistant secretary for Environmental Management (EM), visited the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash., according to a Nov. 5 article […]

  • DOE’s national nuclear waste management strategy report is shaping up, panel says

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s report on a national waste management plan is coming together, DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory senior policy advisor Bradley Williams said this week at the American Nuclear Society (ANS) conference. Driven by President Donald Trump’s executive order “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base”, DOE, in conjunction with other agencies, is […]

  • BWXT brings on new general counsel

    BWX Technologies, Lynchburg, Va., has appointed Toby Smith as its new senior vice president and general counsel, replacing Ronald (Chip) Whitford, the company said last week. BWXT expects that Whitford will stay on in an advisory role through early 2026, the company said in a Nov. 6 press release. BWXT said Smith has logged more […]

  • INL operations contractor shops around for Idaho Falls office space

    Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), the Department of Energy’s operations contractor for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is on the lookout for potential office space around Idaho Falls, according to an online procurement notice. As it kicks off its market research, the prime contractor is asking for expressions of interest (EOI) from providers capable of leasing […]

  • SRS advisory panel meeting cancelled for now

    While the federal government might reopen soon, a regular meeting of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens Advisory Board in South Carolina scheduled for next week has been called off. The SRS Citizens Advisory Board was to meet next Tuesday, Nov. 18 at the new Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative center at the University […]

  • Large reactors still needed to meet growing energy needs, speakers say

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – To meet rising energy demands, the United States needs to prioritize building large nuclear reactors, several federal officials said during the American Nuclear Society conference Monday. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) said during various panel discussions that small modular reactors will […]

  • Coming up

    Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  (With the federal shutdown still in effect at press time it is advisable to double-check with sponsors to see if government-related speakers/events are still scheduled. ) November  09 – 12 – American Nuclear Society (ANS) 2025 Winter Conference and Expo in Washington […]

  • Group challenges NRC license for Holtec storage

    Beyond Nuclear has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license that could allow Holtec International to develop a waste storage site in New Mexico, although Holtec says it no longer plans to do so. Beyond Nuclear has filed what is known as a writ of certiorari and asked the […]

  • EnergySec Wright now expects one or two pilot reactors turned on in July 2026

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – One or two advanced reactor pilot projects should reach criticality by next July Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said here Monday at the American Nuclear Society conference. In June, the Department of Energy, sparked by President Donald Trump’s May 23 executive orders, created an advanced nuclear reactor pilot program. Under the program, […]

  • Walsh makes first Hanford trip with little fanfare

    Tim Walsh, the new head of the Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management, made his first visit to DOE’s largest nuclear cleanup site last week, a Washington state newspaper reported. With little fanfare, Walsh, assistant secretary for Environmental Management (EM), visited the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash., according to a Nov. 5 article […]

  • Comments sought on draft environmental report for TVA Clinch River

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published a supplemental environmental impact statement on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)’s proposed reactor project adjacent to the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. NRC, together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, seek public comment on a draft supplemental environmental impact statement, or supplemental EIS, on […]

  • Paducah data center solicitation issued by DOE

    The Department of Energy has issued another solicitation for a data center and accompanying power generation, with this project to be developed at the Paducah Site in Kentucky. The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced the request for offer (RFO) in a Nov. 4 press release. The online solicitation notice is available here. Responses to […]

  • Amentum, AtkinsRéalis secure major UK nuclear cleanup biz

    Amentum said Friday it has landed major new business commitments for decommissioning work at the Sellafield nuclear site in the United Kingdom that could be worth the equivalent of $1.9 billion in U.S. dollars. After a competitive bid process, Sellafield Ltd chose Amentum as for remediation work inside the site’s High Security Area, according to […]

  • No post-election deal yet on reopening government

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite some signs of hope, as of Exchange Monitor ‘s Friday deadline, there is not a vote scheduled in the Senate to reopen the government. That is despite a Republican senator’s confidence that would happen. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told a quorum of reporters […]

  • DOE, contractor managers update WIPP progress during forum

    The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M., received 432 shipments of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste during fiscal 2025, officials from DOE and its prime contractor said Thursday evening. In addition, WIPP’s management said the new ventilation system at the facility is working well and work continues normally, so far at […]

  • Fluor earnings fall; company reaches deal on NuScale investment

    Earnings fell at Fluor, Irving, Texas, in the third quarter, which the international engineering and construction company chalked up to a court ruling and the declining share price for Fluor-backed NuScale Power. The biggest blow to earnings was an adverse court decision of $653 million in a completed infrastructure project in Australia, according to Fluor’s […]

  • Centrus earnings rise in 3Q ahead of planned Piketon expansion

    Earnings rose at Centrus Energy, based in Bethesda, Md., in the third quarter, which the uranium broker and enrichment developer attributed to an increase in the volume of uranium sold. Net earnings for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 were $3.9 million, or $0.19 a diluted share, up from a net loss of $5 million […]

  • DNFSB plans to remain active safety monitor, it stresses in DOE letter

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has formally informed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright that the board plans to remain active on safety despite being down to a single member. The DNFSB’s acting chair, Thomas Summers, left the small agency when his term ended Oct. 18. The Summers’ exit leaves Patricia Lee as the […]

  • Former DOE exec Avery becomes Westinghouse VP

    Jeff Avery, a longtime federal executive within the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex, has accepted a vice president’s post with Westinghouse Electric, Avery said this week on his LinkedIn page. “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Westinghouse Electric Company as vice president, Chief Operating & Administrative Officer for Westinghouse Government Services,” Avery said Monday […]

  • Paducah data center solicitation issued by DOE

    The Department of Energy has issued another solicitation for a data center and accompanying power generation, with this project to be developed at the Paducah Site in Kentucky. The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced the request for offer (RFO) in a Nov. 4 press release. The online solicitation notice is available here. Responses to […]

  • BWXT records strong third quarter despite government shutdown

    Earnings rose significantly at BWX Technologies (BWXT), Lynchburg, Va., in the third quarter, which the company attributed to its “differentiating nuclear credentials” and some multi-year, special materials contracts it received. “The demand environment for nuclear solutions in defense, clean energy, and medical markets is unprecedented,” Rex Geveden, president and CEO of BWXT, said in the […]

  • Another government meeting bites the dust

    Due to the ongoing government shutdown, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) is postponing its Nov. 13 public meeting scheduled for Arlington, Va. A new date is yet to be determined but it will be after January 2026, a spokesperson for NWTRB said via email Wednesday afternoon.  When the new date and venue are […]

  • Paducah data center solicitation issued by DOE

    The Department of Energy has issued another solicitation for a data center and accompanying power generation, with this project to be developed at the Paducah Site in Kentucky. The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced the request for offer (RFO) in a Nov. 4 press release. The online solicitation notice is available here. Responses to […]

  • Y-12 prime shops for office space near Oak Ridge

    Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), the Bechtel-led contractor team that oversees the Y-12 National Security Complex, is looking at office space near the facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. CNS recently took in expressions of interest (EOI) from potential suppliers of office space located within five to 20 miles of the Y-12 complex at the Department of […]

  • Former DOE exec Avery becomes Westinghouse VP

    Jeff Avery, a longtime federal executive within the Department of Energy’s nuclear complex, has accepted a vice president’s post with Westinghouse Electric, Avery said this week on his LinkedIn page. “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Westinghouse Electric Company as vice president, Chief Operating & Administrative Officer for Westinghouse Government Services,” Avery said Monday […]

  • DNFSB plans to remain active safety monitor, it stresses in DOE letter

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has formally told Secretary of Energy Chris Wright that the board plans to remain active on safety despite being down to a single member. The DNFSB’s acting chair, Thomas Summers, left the small agency when his term ended Oct. 18. The Summers’ exit leaves Patricia Lee as the […]

  • Coming up:

    Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking:  (With the federal shutdown still in effect at press time it is advisable to double-check with sponsors to see if government-related speakers/events are still scheduled. ) November  03: Earnings Call: BWX Technologies, the nuclear services company, holds its call at 5 p.m. […]

  • Commercial deployment is the next step for nuclear industry, panel says

    KNOXVILLE, TENN. – Nuclear industry panelists said here Wednesday the time has come for advanced reactor projects to mature from pilot stages to commercial deployment. That was a central theme discussed during the “Next Generation Nuclear Opportunities” at the Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association’s (ETEBA) annual Business Opportunities and Technical Conference. “The era of […]

  • Nuclear workforce needs more people, prime contractors tell conference

    KNOXVILLE, TENN. – Several executives with Department of Energy prime contractors said Wednesday morning that workforce gaps will need to be filled if they plan to meet the growing demand for nuclear energy and services. Panelists from across the DOE nuclear complex told attendees at the Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association’s (ETEBA) Business Opportunities […]

  • Westinghouse, Cameco reach deal with DOE on nuclear construction program

    Companies in the United States and Canada said this week they have agreed to a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy in hopes of speeding development of $80 billion worth of Westinghouse Electric reactor technology. The nuclear power construction program was announced by Westinghouse, Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management along with the U.S. government. […]