The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council (USNIC) has elected Jeff Merrifield to serve as Chair of its Board of Directors. Merrifield is the Nuclear Energy practice leader at Pillsbury.
an Estonian company pioneering the use of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology to support energy security and a net-zero energy market for Estonia, today announced that it has selected Deep Isolation’s technology as its solution for storage and disposal of SMR spent fuel. The two companies today have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly drive forward the development of SMRs in Estonia supported by a safe and scalable solution for the resulting spent fuel.
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. ("NANO Nuclear"), an emerging microreactor and advanced nuclear technology company, led by a world-class nuclear engineering team developing proprietary, portable, and clean energy solutions, announced that Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has completed a pre-conceptual design review of NANO Nuclear’s “ODIN” low-pressure coolant microreactor design.
GE Vernova’s Nuclear business, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), today welcomed confirmation it has been awarded a £33.6 million UK Future Nuclear Enabling Fund (FNEF) grant from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ). The UK Government has ambitions for 24 GW of nuclear by 2050 to help in providing energy security for the UK and for meeting net zero.
Today, TerraPower announced that the TerraPower Isotopes team has distributed the first samples of Actinium-225[1] to two pharmaceutical companies. Actinium-225 from TerraPower will be used as a starting material by these pharmaceutical companies for research and development of advanced, targeted cancer treatments and in drug trials involving targeted alpha therapy in multiple disease areas.
X-Energy Reactor Company, LLC (“X-energy” or the “Company”), a leading developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation, announced that it has successfully completed milestones in the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (“CNSC”) pre-licensing Vendor Design Review (“VDR”). The Company submitted the design of its Xe-100 advanced small modular reactor to CNSC for a combined Phase 1 and 2 VDR process. Upon completion of these phases, CNSC concluded there are no fundamental barriers to licensing the Xe-100, an outcome that increases confidence in proceeding with formal license applications in Canada.
NAC International Inc. (NAC) has received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its patented OPTIMUS®-L packaging system (U.S. Pat. No. 11,373,773) to contain and transport High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuel, which will be used in advanced reactors. This is the first time the NRC has licensed high-capacity packagings (>500 lb payload) of HALEU TRISO fuel in the U.S. and lays the foundation for future licensing of NAC’s OPTIMUS systems to carry other HALEU contents.
Pelican Energy Partners Base Zero LP ("Pelican") is pleased to announce the acquisition of Container Technologies Industries, LLC from a group of private shareholders. CTI is based in Helenwood, Tennessee and is a manufacturer of containment solutions for the nuclear industry. CTI is a certified HUBZone small-business whose customers include the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense and the commercial-nuclear industry.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has voted to issue a construction permit to Kairos Power for the Hermes demonstration reactor to be built at the Heritage Center Industrial Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A critical step on Kairos Power’s iterative pathway to commercializing its advanced reactor technology, the Hermes reactor will demonstrate the company’s ability to deliver clean, safe, and affordable nuclear heat.
Curio, a trailblazer in nuclear technology solutions, and Deep Isolation, an innovator in nuclear waste disposal, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collectively drive forward the development of advanced technologies for efficient and secure disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW).
Framatome Inc. (Framatome) and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) today signed an agreement to establish a joint venture (JV) at the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris, France. This JV will provide nuclear fuel for the fourth generation Micro-Modular™ Reactor (MMR®) and other advanced reactor designs. The fuel supply will include commercial quantities of Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) particles and USNC’s proprietary Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM®) fuel.
Pelican Energy Partners Base Zero LP ("Pelican") is pleased to announce that it has acquired Springs ATG, LLC ("Springs ATG") from Machine Build Technologies. In conjunction with the transaction, Springs ATG will be rebranded as Advanced Technology Group ("ATG" or the "Company"). ATG is based in Westminster, Colorado and is a manufacturer of containment solutions, including gloveboxes, for the nuclear industry. The Company's containment solutions are used in multiple applications to facilitate life extension of nuclear power plants across North America, as well as enabling the nascent SMR/Advanced Reactor industry.
Today, Centrus Energy Corp. announced that it has made its first delivery of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) to the U.S. Department of Energy, completing Phase One of its contract with the Department by successfully demonstrating its HALEU production process. Centrus will now move on to Phase Two of the contract – requiring a full year of HALEU production at the rate of 900 kilograms per year at its American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio.
NASA is leading an effort, working with the Department of Energy (DOE), to advance space nuclear technologies. The government team has selected three reactor design concept proposals for a nuclear thermal propulsion system. The reactor is a critical component of a nuclear thermal engine, which would utilize high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel.
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), a leader in nuclear energy innovation, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract by NASA to develop and mature Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) systems for the advancement of America’s civil science and cislunar capabilities. This contract, which will see NTP move from the paper phase into hardware, is a testament to USNC’s capabilities on the leading edge of advanced reactor design and manufacturing.
American Centrifuge Operating (ACO), a subsidiary of Centrus Energy Corp, started enrichment operations for the first time at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio.
Denetek’s plan could fortify energy security and decarbonization in Ukraine and regionally SMRs will be deployed on a number of current DTEK thermal power plant sites Denetek is in advanced talks with SMR vendors to select the most advantageous technology for safe, cost-effective, and rapid deployment Denetek is leveraging industry research and expertise from EPRI to develop tailored technology solutions.
We are pleased to report that the repowering of the 800-megawatt Palisades Power Plant in Covert Township, Michigan took a giant step forward this week with the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) between Holtec’s Palisades Energy, LLC and Wolverine Power Cooperative, a not-for-profit energy provider to the rural communities across Michigan.
