January 8, 2026, 5:12PMNuclear NewsGeorge Joslin, Arden Rowell, Ha Bui, Justin Valentino, Ziwei Che, Seyed Reihani, and Zahra Mohaghegh Fig. 1. Example of a cost-benefit analysis for efficient and safe nuclear licensing. This framework illustrates how safety risk, traditionally quantified through PRA, must be combined with other relevant cost and benefit dimensions to meet statutory expectations of efficiency.
The U.S. nuclear industry is standing at its most volatile regulatory moment yet—one that will shape the trajectory and safety of the industry for decades to come. Recent judicial, legislative, and executive actions have converged to rewrite the rules governing the licensing and regulation of nuclear power reactors. Although these changes are intended to promote and accelerate the deployment of new nuclear energy technologies, the collision of multiple legal shifts—occurring simultaneously and intersecting with profound technological uncertainties—is overwhelming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and threatening to destabilize investor and industry expectations.
Teller’s (left) and Ulam’s Los Alamos Manhattan Project badge photographs, 1943–1944.
In early 1951, Los Alamos scientists Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam devised a breakthrough that would lead to the hydrogen bomb [1]. Their design gave the United States an initial advantage in the Cold War, though comparable progress was soon achieved independently in the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom.
Fleet organizational effectiveness director Melissa Moran (left) and fleet performance improvement manager Jake Olivier use the OR/PI AI agent to assist in a review of plant performance metrics. (Photo: Southern Nuclear)
Southern Nuclear is leading the charge in artificial intelligence integration, with employee-developed applications driving efficiencies in maintenance, operations, safety, and performance.
The tools span all roles within the company, with thousands of documented uses throughout the fleet, including improved maintenance efficiency, risk awareness in maintenance activities, and better-informed decision-making. The data-intensive process of preparing for and executing maintenance operations is streamlined by leveraging AI to put the right information at the fingertips for maintenance leaders, planners, schedulers, engineers, and technicians.
The Windscale Piles, circa 1956. (Photo: DOE)
The core of Pile No. 1 at Windscale caught fire in the fall of 1957. The incident, rated a level 5, “Accident with Wider Consequences,” by the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), has since inspired nuclear safety culture, risk assessment, accident modeling, and emergency preparedness. Windscale also helped show how important communication and transparency are to gaining trust and public support.
December 12, 2025, 2:59PMNuclear NewsSteve Myers and Bill Campbell A low-pressure turbine inspection in progress at Quad Cities-2 in the spring of 2024. The last-stage blades under inspection are at each end of the turbine rotor. (Photo: Constellation)
When Constellation decided to install replacement Alstom low-pressure turbines at three of its boiling water reactor plants more than 15 years ago, one benefit was knowing the new turbines should operate reliably—and without major inspections—for several years.
NN announces the 2025 40 Under 40 honorees
Last year, we proudly launched the inaugural Nuclear News 40 Under 40 list to shine a spotlight on the exceptional young professionals driving the nuclear sector forward as the nuclear community faces a dramatic generational shift. We weren’t sure how a second list would go over, but once again, our members resoundingly answered the call, confirming what we already knew: The nuclear community is bursting with vision, talent, and extraordinary dedication.
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Here is a recap of recent industry happenings: