National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

A collective of Oak Ridge groups recently disposed of highly radioactive waste that had been kept at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for more than 50 years, as announced in an April 15 press release. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge processed and shipped highly radioactive source, […]

House Democratic leaders of the Energy and Commerce committee demanded answers from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on the effects of mass firing at DOE. The letter, released April 14, was signed by full committee ranking member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Energy subcommittee ranking member Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), and Oversight and Investigations subcommittee ranking member […]

BWX Technologies announced Tuesday it acquired 97 acres of land in Oak Ridge, Tenn. with the goal of rebuilding domestic uranium enrichment capabilities by manufacturing centrifuges. According to the emailed press release, the land acquisition would support DOE and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) deployment of Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE) technology. […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration will complete the First Production Unit of the B61-13 this fiscal year, according to Fox News April 9. With production complete in December for the B61-12 life extension program, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has now transitioned to producing the B61-13 gravity bomb, a new, higher-yield variant of the […]

The city of Oak Ridge, Tenn., is studying alternative sites for a municipal airport with land cleaned up by the Department of Energy now earmarked by Orano USA for a major uranium enrichment project. Although a local airport has been long sought by the city of Oak Ridge, Exchange Monitor reported in October 2024 it […]

BWX Technologies announced Tuesday it acquired 97 acres of land in Oak Ridge, Tenn. with the goal of rebuilding domestic uranium enrichment capabilities by manufacturing centrifuges. According to the emailed press release, the land acquisition would support DOE and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) deployment of Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE) technology. […]

BWX Technologies announced Tuesday it acquired 97 acres of land in Oak Ridge, Tenn. with the goal of rebuilding domestic uranium enrichment capabilities by manufacturing centrifuges. According to the emailed press release, the land acquisition would support DOE and its semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) deployment of Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE) technology. […]

House Democratic leaders of the Energy and Commerce committee demanded answers from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on the effects of mass firing at DOE. The letter, released April 14, was signed by full committee ranking member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Energy subcommittee ranking member Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), and Oversight and Investigations subcommittee ranking member […]

The Defense Innovation Unit announced April 10 next steps in its Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program to deploy microreactor nuclear systems for power reliability at select military locations. The companies selected are: Antares Nuclear BWXT Advanced Technologies General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Kairos Power Oklo Radiant Industries Incorporated Westinghouse Government Services X-energy These companies are […]

The city of Oak Ridge, Tenn., is studying alternative sites for a municipal airport with land cleaned up by the Department of Energy now earmarked by Orano USA for a major uranium enrichment project. Although a local airport has been long sought by the city of Oak Ridge, Exchange Monitor reported in October 2024 it […]

The city of Oak Ridge, Tenn., is studying alternative sites for a municipal airport with land cleaned up by the Department of Energy now earmarked by Orano USA for a major uranium enrichment project. Although a local airport has been long sought by the city of Oak Ridge, Exchange Monitor reported in October 2024 it […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration will complete the First Production Unit of the B61-13 this fiscal year, according to Fox News April 9. With production complete in December for the B61-12 life extension program, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has now transitioned to producing the B61-13 gravity bomb, a new, higher-yield variant of the […]

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 13 to 7 Wednesday to advance the nomination of James Danly to be deputy secretary of energy. The Danly nomination to be the No. 2 official in the Department of Energy can now go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. No date for such a […]

WASHINGTON – Former Rep. Brandon Williams, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the National Nuclear Security Administration, told a Senate panel Tuesday he would “speak up” for the “men and women” that work for the agency. “If confirmed, I commit to you that I will stand up for the men and women of NNSA [National […]

With key Democrats denouncing any possible mass firings at the Department of Energy, the deadline is before midnight April 8 for DOE staff to opt into the latest round of voluntary buyouts. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) said April 4 they are troubled by reports by Associated Press and other media […]

In a Tuesday emergency order, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a preliminary injunction by a U.S. District Judge in California ordering federal agencies including the Department of Energy to rehire 16,000 probationary employees. Also, the Associated Press reported this week that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit voted two-to-one to overturn a […]

WASHINGTON – Former Rep. Brandon Williams, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the National Nuclear Security Administration, told a Senate panel Tuesday he would “speak up” for the “men and women” that work for the agency. “If confirmed, I commit to you that I will stand up for the men and women of NNSA [National […]

The House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee will hear from Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and others on the country’s strategic forces posture for fiscal 2026. Cotton, the military’s top uniformed nuclear official, is one of four witnesses to testify Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time in Rayburn House Office Building, […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear testimony Tuesday morning from President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration. Brandon Williams, the administration’s nominee to be undersecretary of energy for nuclear security, is one of four nominees scheduled to testify during a confirmation hearing Tuesday to start at […]

The Department of Energy is seeking feedback on how 16 installations, mostly in the weapons complex, stack up as potential spots to develop artificial intelligence data centers. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday April 3 that DOE is issuing a request for information on how the 16 federal properties might work for permitting and construction […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration hosted Cobalt Magnet 25, an emergency response exercise, with local, federal and international partners from the U.S. and Canada from March 14 to 21. The exercise provided a scenario of a notional nuclear power plant accident to allow response personnel to practice scanning for radiological materials, protecting affected populations and […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said rebooting plutonium pit production is key to bringing nuclear power forward for energy and defense during the Donald Trump administration, according to Fox News Sunday. Plutonium pits, the bowling-ball shaped fissile core placed inside a thermonuclear weapon to trigger its explosion, were produced at the highest rate during the […]

The Donald Trump administration’s pick to be deputy secretary of energy, told a Senate panel Wednesday that if confirmed his focus would be on easing federal regulatory approval for new infrastructure and electricity projects.   In his prepared testimony to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, James Danly also said keeping the Department of Energy’s […]

Russia’s top commander in Ukraine Gen. Sergei Surovikin discussed using nuclear weapons to prevent Ukraine from advancing into Crimea in the fall of 2022, the New York Times said March 29. The Times cited U.S. intelligence reports, which also reportedly said that U.S. intelligence agencies put the chances of Moscow using nuclear weapons between 5-10%, […]

While plans for new nuclear units have garnered a lot of interest lately, challenges including workforce, public perception and licensing still dictate when the projects can deploy, according to panelists in an Energy Communities Alliance webinar. The ECA held a webinar “Open for Business – New Nuclear Opportunities” on Wednesday with panelists weighing in on […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said rebooting plutonium pit production is key to bringing nuclear power forward for energy and defense during the Donald Trump administration, according to Fox News Sunday. Plutonium pits, the bowling-ball shaped fissile core placed inside a thermonuclear weapon to trigger its explosion, were produced at the highest rate during the […]

BWX Technologies, a Virginia-based company, is opening a 170,000 square-foot facility dedicated to advanced nuclear technology in Lynchburg, Virginia. The new labs and workspaces will be used for NASA, the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, national research labs, state government and commercial use, according to the company’s March 26 press release. BWXT has worked […]

President Donald Trump has nominated a trio of officials to lead key Department of Energy branches serving the weapons complex, although as of mid-week Senate committees had not scheduled confirmation hearings on any of them. All three would report to the already confirmed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Exchange Monitor will update the nominees’ progress […]

The Senate easily confirmed financier and Donald Trump campaign donor John Phelan 62-30 to be the next Secretary of the Navy on Monday evening. All Republicans present voted for Phalen. The 11 Democrats in favor included the Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (R.I.) and other committee members Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Tim Kaine […]

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent letters to directors of Oak Ridge, Los Alamos and Argonne National Laboratories on reports of researchers leveraging supercomputers from the Chinese military. Lee, a proponent for examining vulnerabilities at national labs particularly concerning foreign nationals, published the letters Wednesday on the […]