Nuclear News

The National Nuclear Security Administration has granted authorization to Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) to begin the decontamination and decommissioning work with the Calciner Project (CALP) at the Y-12 National Security Complex, in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

A tiny ribbon may hold big promise for detecting radiation damage in future tokamaks.

Researchers at the University of Arizona have shown that, when exposed to gamma radiation, graphene nanoribbons exhibit altered current flow from quantum effects while maintaining their atomic framework, suggesting strong potential for use in sensors for monitoring gamma-induced damage to materials and devices in extreme environments, such as fusion machines.

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) has signed a research agreement with Quantum Leap Energy (QLE) “to advance and de-risk the commercial production of high-purity uranium hexafluoride (UF₆).”

QLE is an Austin, Texas–based subsidiary of ASP Isotopes (ASPI), which is developing an isotope enrichment platform for applications in nuclear energy, nuclear medicine, and semiconductors. QLE specializes in the uranium conversion step of the nuclear fuel cycle—the conversion of yellowcake uranium concentrate (U₃O₈) into UF₆ prior to enrichment.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that its Economic Development Administration (EDA) intends to award $31 million to the Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor (INEC) Tech Hub. The Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium (IAEC), the group that leads the INEC Tech Hub, subsequently announced that matching donations from its stakeholder partners will bring the total investment up to $40 million.

A new report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office states that the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) has disposed of more than 16 million tons of radioactive and hazardous waste from the Moab Mill Site. While cleanup continues at the Cold War–era uranium ore processing site in southeastern Utah, a plan for the next phase of groundwater remediation is still needed, according to the GAO.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have patented a magneto-optical sensor, which uses a rare earth crystal and laser light to measure the strength of intense magnetic fields and electrical currents.

“We think this technology is a pretty major improvement in measuring magnetic fields,” said Israel Owens, a Sandia physicist and co-inventor of the sensor. “We think it’ll be essential especially for research in fusion, high-energy physics, and the power utilities industry. We’re really excited about where things are going.”

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) is currently seeking qualified candidates to fill an open committee member position. Applications for the position will be accepted until July 30. The ACRS is the world’s oldest organization devoted to reactor safety, and the group reports directly to the NRC’s commissioners in order to provide independent technical reviews of and advice on a wide variety of nuclear topics.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted Constellation’s subsequent license renewal application to extend operations at the Ginna nuclear power plant by another 20 years.

If approved, the Ontario, N.Y., facility’s operating license would be extended through September 18, 2049. The plant was first issued a 40-year license in 1969, followed by a 20-year renewal in 2004 that extended the license into 2029.

The trout population in the western hemisphere is getting stronger through the application of nuclear science.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, as part of a technical cooperation project, is equipping laboratories and training specialists in nine countries to better deal with the infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) in rainbow trout.

Serbia reached a significant milestone in 2024 when its National Assembly overturned a moratorium on nuclear power plants that had been in place for 35 years, a ban imposed when the country was part of the former Yugoslavia.

Fast forward to 2026 and the European country’s nuclear energy ambitions have become clearer. On July 13, Serbia’s Ministry of Mining and Energy held a four-day workshop outlining the country’s plans to kickstart a nuclear program.

Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Pacific Fusion have surpassed 3,000 “shots” with Sirius, a four-stage prototype impedance-matched Marx generator (IMG) of the type that can provide pulsed power to an inertial confinement fusion machine. The team characterized this achievement as a “key milestone in the development of high-gain fusion and a practical example of government-industry partnership at work.”

As states around the country continue to develop new methods of collaboration with local governments to facilitate and expedite new nuclear deployment, Indiana recently unveiled a plan of its own: the new Indiana Advanced Nuclear Ready Communities Program.

The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED), which leads the program, describes it as a “first-of-its-kind state designation system” that formally recognizes communities that have taken measurable steps to prepare for new nuclear deployment.

As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have reported evidence that small adjustments to a material’s atomic-level ordering can significantly affect the rate and extent of corrosion, even with identical baseline chemical compositions.

For the study, published recently in Corrosion Science, the team ran simulations for nichrome-based alloys, which have excellent strength, creep resistance, and tolerance to radiation-induced degradation, making them top candidates for use in molten salt reactors and other advanced energy systems.

X-energy subsidiary TRISO-X has received an economic development grant valued at $11 million from Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Supply Chain Investment Fund, which was established in 2023 to “support nuclear energy business investment, workforce development programs, and site development across Tennessee.” The grant will be used for the ongoing construction of TRISO-X’s fuel fabrication campus at the Horizon Center Industrial Park in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

In the span of just over a week in late June and early July, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission published three proposed rules on modernizing security requirements, low-level radioactive waste disposal requirements, and fuel cycle and materials licensing.

This week, NRC staff led separate virtual public information meetings on each of the proposed rules, providing details to the public on what each one would change.

At the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, the Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has inaugurated a hydrogen production facility based on the copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle that uses nuclear process heat generated by the fast breeder test reactor (FBTR).

Areg Danagoulian of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is proposing a mechanism for verifying that Earth-orbiting satellites are in compliance with the Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons in space. Danagoulian’s “concept and feasibility study,” titled “Verification of the Outer Space Treaty with cosmic protons,” was published recently in the journal Nature.

Michael Goff

I don’t think we’ve ever had a busier year in the Office of Nuclear Energy, and it’s probably been decades since we’ve had this much momentum within the overall U.S. nuclear industry.

President Trump and Energy Secretary Wright have made very clear the important role that nuclear must play in meeting our energy needs, and that’s well demonstrated by the four executive orders that the president signed [more than] 375 days ago. In nuclear, we’re now talking about days, not years.

Those EOs set a goal for the United States to quadruple the amount of nuclear that we have. We need to go from the 94 reactors that we have operating right now, which generate roughly 100 gigawatts of electricity, to 400 gigawatts by 2050.

Two nuclear fusion companies are setting up shop in disused industrial buildings. Realta Fusion just named a Madison, Wis., location for its “Realta Forge.” Meanwhile, last week, Inertia Enterprises announced the opening of its new headquarters in Livermore, Calif.