Department of Energy

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has established a consortium to work with U.S. nuclear fuel companies in an effort to increase domestic fuel availability. Under DOE’s new Defense Production Act (DPA) Consortium, voluntary agreements will allow industry collaboration to create plans to secure the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain capacity throughout the […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 10: Hybrid meeting: The DOE Site-Specific Advisory Board for the Nevada National Security Site meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106. 24: National Cleanup Workshop, […]

The Department of Energy’s former chief of staff during President Joe Biden’s administration last week announced the formation of a new DOE alumni network. The group, which will hire an executive director, is being created following “hundreds of survey responses and many dozens of conversations” with ex-DOE feds, former DOE chief of staff Tarak Shah, […]

A provision in the Senate’s version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) could protect employees in charge of maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the NDAA included a section that, if included in the eventual conference version with the House […]

BWX Technologies has formed a new subsidiary, BWXT Advanced Fuels, dedicated to the commercialization of advanced nuclear fuel, the company announced Aug. 21. The new subsidiary will pursue partnerships to deliver commercial nuclear fuel for upcoming advanced nuclear reactors, BWXT said in its Aug. 21 press release. BWXT Advanced Fuels will focus on guaranteeing the […]

Three House Democrats have penned a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright requesting information on recent interactions between the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over agency roles in the nuclear sector. Reps. Diane DeGette (D-Colo.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 10: Hybrid meeting: The DOE Site-Specific Advisory Board for the Nevada National Security Site meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106. 24: National Cleanup Workshop, […]

The Environmental Protection Agency has approved two new waste disposal panels for the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. The DOE Office of Environmental Management said in a Monday Aug. 18 press release that EPA has approved use of replacement Panels 11 and 12 for the nation’s only underground disposal […]

The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s researchers have begun examining high burnup fuel rods manufactured by a GE Vernova company. The high burnup assemblies delivered by Global Nuclear Fuel, a GE Vernova-led venture with Hitachi, were shipped to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington state after spending six years in a commercial […]

 Environmental cleanup at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge site in Tennessee will likely extend past its current schedule, a DOE site official said Wednesday Aug. 13. During a meeting of the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB), Roger Petrie, DOE’s Federal Facilities Agreement projects manager at Oak Ridge, said the current schedule has […]

Although the Department of Energy missed an August target to start making glass from low-level radioactive waste, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is on the brink of operation, an advisory panel for the Hanford Site heard Wednesday. “We are so close, so close to starting that thing up,” DOE’s acting manager for the Hanford […]

The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board’s (NWTRB) summer meeting on Aug. 27 in Arlington, Va. has been postponed. A new date has yet to be decided but when the new date and venue are determined it will be made available on NWTRB’s website and the Federal Register, a NWTRB spokesperson said Wednesday.  The meeting will […]

Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure (H2C), the BWX Technologies-led liquid waste prime, suspended work for a week due to safety concerns at the former plutonium production site at Richland, Wash. “H2C initiated a week-long safety stand down, pausing non-essential operations and holding all-hands meetings with its workforce, including management, to discuss the recent spike […]

The Department of Energy announced Tuesday it has selected 11 nuclear projects to partake in a pilot program to streamline the deployment of advanced reactors. In the DOE’s Tuesday press release, the agency listed these 10 companies: Aalo Atomics, based in Austin, Texas Antares Nuclear, based in Redondo Beach, Calif. Atomic Alchemy, based in Idaho […]

Amentum, a major contractor for the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, has seen little impact so far from cost-cutting efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the company said last week. “Although a limited number of our contracts for the U.S. government have been affected by DOGE and other changes in […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: August  13: Hybrid meeting: Hanford Advisory Board meetings starting at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time from Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W Grandridge Boulevard, Kennewick, Wash. 13: Hybrid meeting: Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board starts at 6 p.m. Eastern time from DOE […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a license amendment for Urenco USA’s enrichment facility in New Mexico, the agency said on LinkedIn Thursday. The approval allows Urenco to produce higher-enriched uranium-235 to fuel advanced reactors. “We first gave Urenco permission to start making higher-enriched U-235 last December,” the post said. “Our most recent approval lifts the […]

The Department of Energy said Monday it has picked Standard Nuclear of Oak Ridge, Tenn., as the first company to participate in a Donald Trump administration pilot program to develop nuclear fuel production lines to support advanced reactors. In the Aug. 4 press release, DOE said Standard Nuclear has been “conditionally selected” as the first company to take […]

The Department of Energy has released its fifth loan reimbursement valued at $83.2 million to Holtec to support for the company’s restart efforts at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. The fifth loan installment comes a bit over a month after the fourth loan guarantee, which was worth around $100 million. According to DOE’s Thursday […]

A federal safety panel wants to know how the Department of Energy will ensure nuclear safety given reduced staffing and restructuring. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on July 25 formally requested DOE brief it within 30 days on continuing to ensure safety at the department’s nuclear cleanup and weapons stockpile branches. “Per statute, […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright joined several members of the South Carolina congressional delegation this week to officially open the Savannah River National Laboratory’s new offsite Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative. The national laboratory will operate the 63,000-square-foot research center although it will be located the university, DOE said in a Thursday press release. The $66-million project […]

Earnings rose at Leidos, Reston, Va., in the second quarter, which the national security and technology company attributed to controlling expenses in a time of “uncertainty” and some new contract awards.  For this year’s second quarter, Leidos reported a net margin of 9.2% and net income of $393 million on sales of $4.25 billion, up […]

Earnings fell at Centrus Energy, based in Bethesda, Maryland, in the second quarter, which the uranium broker and enrichment technology developer attributed to a decrease in the volume of uranium sold. Net earnings for the second quarter ended June 30 were $28.9 million, or $1.59 a diluted share, down from $30.6 million, or $1.89 a […]

With Congress out on recess this month, a busy September looms with authorization bills requests in both chambers to finalize by Oct. 1 and pending nominations in the Senate for the Department of Energy.  Lawmakers will return facing a looming government funding deadline at the end of September, with a continuing resolution, which has become […]

Earnings rose at Amentum, Chantilly, Va., during the past quarter, which the company attributed in part to the White House and congress prioritizing nuclear power and national defense.   Net earnings for the quarter ended June 27 were $10 million, or $0.04 a share, up from a $26 million loss, or a loss of $(0.29) a […]

Earnings rose at BWX Technologies, Lynchburg, Va. in the second quarter, which the company attributed to strong performances in government operations.  “We had exceptionally strong second quarter 2025 financial results driven by solid operational performance and pacing of work, particularly in Government Operations, which was complemented by robust bookings in both segments, leading to record […]

With Congress out on recess this month, a busy September looms with authorization bills requests in both chambers to finalize by Oct. 1 and pending nominations in the Senate for the Department of Energy.  Lawmakers will return facing a looming government funding deadline at the end of September, with a continuing resolution, which has become […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy will brief the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board later this month on DOE management of high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel. The hybrid summer meeting, announced recently by the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB), is scheduled Wednesday Aug. 27. The all-day session kicks off at 8 […]

New Mexico is citing the Department of Energy and its prime contractor at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) with violations and giving them until Sept. 24 to deliver a plan for fixing aging assets at the disposal site for transuranic waste. An order by a branch of the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) gives […]

A federal safety panel wants to know how the Department of Energy will ensure nuclear safety given reduced staffing and restructuring. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on July 25 formally requested DOE brief it within 30 days on continuing to ensure safety at the department’s nuclear cleanup and weapons stockpile branches. “Per statute, […]