Archive

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The independent federal agency that licenses and regulates civilian use of nuclear materials, including commercial reactor operation, decommissioning, and radioactive waste storage and disposal.

  • Round Up: Nano Nuclear plans R&D facility in Illinois; NRC sets meeting for Wolf Creek land transfer; TVA begins scheduled outage for Sequoyah Unit 1; Lightbridge loads capsules for irradiation testing

    In a joint agreement with Nano Nuclear, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the nuclear company will construct a manufacturing and research and development facility in Illinois.  Nano Nuclear plans to “make an investment of more than $12 million with the support from the Reimagining Energy and […]

  • Bussiere to retire, White possible candidate for Air Force vice chief

    U.S. Air Force Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, is to retire after the White House recently withdrew his nomination as service vice chief of staff. In a LinkedIn post last Wednesday, Bussiere said he and his wife “made the difficult decision to request retirement from the United States Air […]

  • NRC nominee Nieh pledges to prioritize nuclear safety

    WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) told a Senate panel Wednesday if confirmed, he will work to ensure the agency is independent and prioritizes safety. In a statement to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Ho Nieh, a former NRC staffer of 23 years, said his desire to […]

  • TVA taps Rasmussen as chief nuclear officer

    Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said last week it has appointed Matt Rasmussen as its new chief nuclear officer. Rasmussen assumed the chief nuclear officer role in August as a part of a leadership transition, with Tim Rausch, TVA’s previous head of nuclear, retiring effective Sept. 30, according to TVA’s Oct. 1 press release. According to […]

  • NRC offers public hearing on Framatome’s license amendment request

    The public has until Dec. 1 to request a hearing before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board on a license amendment authorizing Tri-structural Isotope (TRISO) fuel fabrication at Framatome’s plant in Richland, Wash. Among other things, the Framatome Fuel Fabrication Facility in Richland produces uranium dioxide (UO2) powder, pellets, fuel rods and […]

  • NRC plans public meeting on cemetery land transfer at Wolf Creek nuclear plant

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has scheduled a public meeting Oct. 15 to take comments on Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation’s proposal to release a tract of land at its plant site in Burlington, Kansas. Wolf Creek seeks approval to donate 4.46 acres of land under its NRC reactor license to a privately-owned cemetery, the […]

  • NRC nominee Nieh pledges to prioritize nuclear safety

    WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) told a Senate panel Wednesday if confirmed, he will work to ensure the agency is independent and prioritizes safety. In a statement to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Ho Nieh, a former NRC staffer of 23 years, said his desire to […]

  • NRC offers public hearing on Framatome’s license amendment request

    The public has until Dec. 1 to request a hearing before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board on a license amendment authorizing Tri-structural Isotope (TRISO) fuel fabrication at Framatome’s plant in Richland, Wash. Among other things, the Framatome Fuel Fabrication Facility in Richland produces uranium dioxide (UO2) powder, pellets, fuel rods and […]

  • NRC nominee Nieh to testify before Senate EPW Wednesday

    The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a nomination hearing for Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee Ho Nieh Wednesday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time at the Senate Dirksen Office Building. Nieh, nominated in July by President Donald Trump to serve as a NRC commissioner, will testify alongside Environmental Protection Agency assistant administrator for […]

  • NRC cancels Oct. 7 commission meeting

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed its Commission meeting that was scheduled on Tuesday Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time at Rockville, Md. due to the ongoing government shutdown. No makeup date has been scheduled, according to NRC’s website. The Organization of Agreement States and Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors were slated to […]

  • Coming Up:

    Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: October 06 (Cancelled): Hearing: An NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hear oral arguments on Long Mott’s construction permit application starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.  20: Conference: Energy Technology and Environmental Business Association 2025 conference starts at 8 a.m. at […]

  • NRC selects Andrea Kock to lead nuclear materials office

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has appointed Andrea Kock to lead its Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), effective Monday, Sept. 29. Kock served as Region I administrator in King of Prussia, Penn. and most recently has been leading the NMSS as its acting head. She initially joined the NRC in 1996 as a […]

  • NRC grants Point Beach its second license renewal

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the operating licenses of units 1 and 2 of NextEra Energy’s Point Beach nuclear plant in Two Rivers, Wis. for 20 additional years. The renewed licenses for Point Beach’s Unit 1 will expire in October 2050 and the second unit in March 2053. This is the second time the Wisconsin […]

  • NRC authorizes Urenco USA to produce LEU-plus fuel

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized Urenco USA to produce low-enriched uranium plus, becoming the first commercial uranium enricher to do so, according to its Thursday press release. Initial production of low-enriched uranium plus is scheduled to start later this year and the first deliveries to fuel fabricator planned for 2026, Urenco USA said. NRC […]

  • Round Up: Idaho nuclear panel forms; Connecticut becomes agreement state; Data center sought for SRS; more

    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 […]

  • NRC gears up for longer government shutdown

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has laid out its plans for traversing the government shutdown which began on Wednesday. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent out an approved lapse plan for the independent agency on Tuesday.  Under the plan, when carryover funds at the NRC are all exhausted, activities, including licensing, inspections […]

  • Shutdown causes ASLB to cancel oral arguments for Long Mott

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed its three-judge panel’s oral arguments scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 6 on challenges to Long Mott Energy’s construction permit application due to the ongoing government shutdown. The company has applied to develop a small modular reactor in Seadrift, Texas.  NRC announced the postponement of the Atomic […]

  • NRC gears up for government shutdown

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has laid out its plans for traversing the government shutdown which began on Wednesday. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent out an approved lapse plan for the independent agency on Tuesday.  Under the plan, when carryover funds at the NRC are all exhausted, activities, including licensing, inspections […]

  • NRC selects Andrea Kock to lead nuclear materials office

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has appointed Andrea Kock to lead its Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), effective Monday, Sept. 29. Kock served as Region I administrator in King of Prussia, Penn. and most recently has been leading the NMSS as its acting head. She initially joined the NRC in 1996 as a […]

  • NRC grants Point Beach its second license renewal

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the operating licenses of units 1 and 2 of NextEra Energy’s Point Beach nuclear plant in Two Rivers, Wis. for 20 additional years. The renewed licenses for Point Beach’s Unit 1 will expire in October 2050 and the second unit in March 2053. This is the second time the Wisconsin […]

  • Under MOU, London and D.C. seek to shed dependence on Russian nuclear fuel

    The United States and the United Kingdom concluded a joint summit Thursday by putting out a memorandum of understanding on “technology prosperity,” including cooperation on issues from nuclear energy to artificial intelligence. While the deal between the Trans-Atlantic allies seeks to deepen collaboration on all-things-nuclear, it also sets out a goal of shedding dependence on […]

  • World nuclear units produce record output in 2024, report says

    Nuclear power reactors worldwide cranked out a record 2,667 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity during 2024, according to a report released this week by the World Nuclear Association. That is up slightly from the prior high of 2,660 TWh during 2006, according to the report released Monday Sept. 1. The global reactor fleet ran at […]

  • Oklo to build a fuel recycling plant in Oak Ridge

    Oklo announced Thursday it will build and operate a $1.68 billion nuclear fuel recycling facility that could employ 800 people at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee.  The fuel facility is the first phase of an advanced fuel center supporting recycling and fuel fabrication, according to Oklo’s Thursday press release. The facility […]

  • Connecticut becomes the 40th NRC agreement state

    Connecticut has been granted certain authority to oversee radioactive materials, becoming the 40th Nuclear Regulatory Commission agreement state. NRC Chairman David Wright and Connecticut Gov. Edward “Ned” Lamont (D) signed the agreement Sept. 25. The final agreement was published in the Federal Register on Monday. According to the governor’s Sept. 25 press release, the agreement […]

  • ASLB sets oral arguments for Long Mott application

    A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hold oral arguments at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 6 on challenges to Long Mott Energy’s construction permit application for a small modular reactor in Seadrift, Texas. The petitioner, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper (Waterkeeper), was certified for oral argument on Sept. 16 in […]

  • Coming Up:

    Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 30 Fiscal 2025 ends at midnight which could trigger a federal government shutdown Oct. 1 unless a continuing resolution is agreed upon. October 06: Hearing: An NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hear oral arguments on Long Mott’s construction permit […]

  • Competitive markets can be tough on nuclear plant financial performance, GAO says

    The financial health of U.S. nuclear plants can be affected by factors such as the market they operate in, electricity prices and the availability of tax credits, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported this week. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) oversees the safety and commercial use of nuclear energy, but is not overly involved with […]

  • 2 EM data center solicitations expected this fall

    ARLINGTON, VA. — Two Department of Energy cleanup properties are expected to issue solicitations for artificial intelligence (AI)-related data centers soon, federal officials said here Wednesday. The Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee could issue a request for proposals in early November for a potential data center, Rob Seifert, director of infrastructure disposition and regulatory policy […]

  • Coming Up

    Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 23: Meeting of the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board starts at 9 a.m. Eastern Time at the new Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative building, located at 4345 Trolley Line Road, Aiken, SC. The meeting will be carried over youtube.    24: National Cleanup […]

  • NRC appoints Tappert to lead the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has selected John Tappert as director of its Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Tappert, who has been serving as the acting office director and previously as the office’s deputy director, was promoted to this role effective Sept. 7, according to a NRC’s Sept. 10 press release.  Tappert has been the acting […]