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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Aug 2026
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2026
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
The transformation of the NRC: 50 years of commissioners
The dust is beginning to settle following the whirlwind of changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the past year, and 2025 ultimately may be viewed as a transformative year, as well as the year the NRC celebrated its golden anniversary. The 12 months of that milestone year brought more change to the agency in its composition, its mandate, and its relationship to the executive branch than any comparable period in the preceding four decades.
Now at 51 years and counting, the NRC is working with a full commission and issuing new rulemakings to both regulate and support the next round of nuclear deployments. With the turbulence of 2025 still fresh in our minds, Nuclear News decided it was a good time to revisit the professional backgrounds of all 42 NRC commissioners who have served over the agency’s 50-year history to see how the composition of the commission has evolved over time.
Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference 2024 (PBNC)
Jean-Luc Palayer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Orano USA, Orano’s operations in the United States providing commercial and federal customers with global expertise in nuclear materials management. Jean-Luc is also serving as the interim President of TN Americas, an Orano USA subsidiary.
He oversees all five of Orano's business units in the United States, including MCES for sales of uranium fuel, conversion, and enrichment services; Orano Decommissioning Services for dismantling nuclear facilities; TN Americas offering the full breadth of used nuclear fuel management (pool to pad, storage, transportation, and ISFSI management); Orano Med for the development of medical isotopes for targeted immunotherapy for fighting cancer; and Orano Federal Services supporting the development of advanced reactors and offering the full complement of engineering and technology to solve some of the more complex nuclear material processing, conditioning, and packaging for the U.S. Department of Energy.
With more than 20 years in the nuclear industry, Jean-Luc’s international leadership experience includes nuclear materials transportation and storage, front-end material production and deliveries, supply chain optimization, and industrial project development in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
He began his career in 1999 with COGEMA (now part of Orano). In 2007, Jean-Luc was named Director of Business Analysis for AREVA Enrichment Services. In 2012, he served as Managing Director of AREVA Solar India and Vice-President of Operations for AREVA Solar Inc with the responsibility to lead construction projects in the United States and India. In 2015, he joined TN Americas (Orano TN) as Vice-President of Global Supply Chain and then as Chief Operating Officer, leading the project management organization, the nuclear manufacturing plants, and the field service business line.
Jean-Luc holds a Master of Engineering degree from École des Mines and an Executive MBA from Georgetown University.
Last modified August 21, 2024, 2:52pm MDT