Nuclear News

Published since 1959, Nuclear News is recognized worldwide as the flagship trade publication for the nuclear community. News reports cover plant operations, maintenance and security; policy and legislation; international developments; waste management and fuel; and business and contract award news.


Argonne scientists use AI to detect hidden defects in stainless steel

February 7, 2025, 2:59PMNuclear NewsKristen Dean
Advanced metal components produced through additive manufacturing can highlight the potential for cutting-edge technologies like AI-enhanced defect detection to ensure their reliability. (Photo: Shutterstock/MarinaGrigorivna)

Imagine you’re constructing a bridge or designing an airplane, and everything appears flawless on the outside. However, microscopic flaws beneath the surface could weaken the entire structure over time.

These hidden defects can be difficult to detect with traditional inspection methods, but a new technology developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is changing that. Using artificial intelligence and advanced imaging techniques, researchers have developed a method to reveal these tiny flaws before they become critical problems.

Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility

February 7, 2025, 2:57PMNuclear News
Judge stands outside INL’s new Sample Preparation Laboratory. (Photo: INL)

Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.

Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.

SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.

Neutron Vision at Los Alamos: Exploring the Frontiers of Nuclear Materials Science

February 7, 2025, 2:57PMNuclear NewsAlexander Long and Sven Vogel
Beamline scientist Sven Vogel installs a highly radioactive post-irradiated nuclear fuel sample into the sample chamber on Flight Path 4 (HIPPO) at the Lujan Center. The sample chamber is equipped with a robotic arm capable of precisely positioning and orienting samples within the pulsed thermal neutron beam originating from the spallation target. This advanced setup enables simultaneous neutron diffraction and Bragg-edge imaging, allowing researchers to analyze the structural and microstructural properties of irradiated nuclear fuels under controlled conditions. (Photo: LANL)

In materials science, understanding the unseen—how materials behave internally under real-world conditions—has always been key to developing new materials and accelerating innovative technologies to market. Moreover, the tools that allow us to see into this invisible world of materials have often been game-changers. Among these, neutron imaging stands out as a uniquely powerful method for investigating the internal structure and behavior of materials without having to alter or destroy the sample. By harnessing the unique properties of neutrons, researchers can uncover the hidden behavior of materials, providing insights essential for advancing nuclear materials and technologies.

The 2025 Nuclear News Energy Quiz

February 7, 2025, 9:30AMNuclear NewsJames Conca

Are you an energy genius? It’s hard to tell whether or not Americans are really aware of the energy that controls our lives, so the following energy quiz should be revealing. The answers are revealed as you take the quiz. Most answers can be found in the pages of the 2024 issues of Nuclear News—so if you’ve been a diligent NN reader you should do fine!

Scoring: Out of 20 questions, 0–5 correct answers means you may need to read up on energy so you’re not at the mercy of others; 6–10 correct answers is a good passing grade (I don’t curve); 11–15 means you’re energy literate; 16–19 means you should be advising Congress; 20 correct answers suggests you’re Mr. Spock reincarnated.

An open letter to Chris Wright

February 6, 2025, 3:05PMNuclear NewsCraig Piercy

Craig Piercy
cpiercy@ans.org

Dear Secretary Wright:

On behalf of the U.S. nuclear professional community, I offer our sincere congratulations to you on your becoming the secretary of energy.

By now, I’m sure you have figured out that “Department of Energy” is a misnomer. If the Department of Government Efficiency ever requires truth in advertising, the DOE should be renamed the “Department of Nuclear Weapons, Security, Cleanup, and Sundry Energy and Science Programs.” That’s because more than 60 percent of the DOE’s budget is dedicated to “atomic energy defense activities”—making sure our nuclear bombs work, our aircraft carriers and submarines sail, and our Cold War messes get cleaned up.

Texas A&M looks to host 4 SMR projects

February 6, 2025, 12:02PMNuclear News
Participants celebrate Texas A&M’s announcement about hosting SMR units from four nuclear companies. (Photo: Texas A&M)

Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp has announced that the university could soon become a home to small modular reactors from four advanced nuclear companies: Kairos Power, Natura Resources, Terrestrial Energy, and Aalo Atomics.

Cape Fear CC expands nuclear technology program

February 6, 2025, 9:30AMNuclear News
Photo: Cape Fear Community College

Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) in Wilmington, N.C., has appointed Kelli Davis its first Nuclear Technology program director. Davis has nearly 20 years of experience in nuclear power, including roles in chemistry, operations, and environmental supervision.

New Swedish test facility paves the way for first SMR

February 5, 2025, 3:06PMNuclear News
A ground breaking marked the beginning of advanced SMRs in Sweden. From left, Jenny Wirandi, head of engineering at OKG; Johan Svenningsson, chief executive of Uniper Sweden; Jacob Stedman, chief executive of Blykalla; Ebba Busch, Sweden’s minister for energy and business and deputy prime minister; and Per Erik Holsten, president of energy industries at ABB. (Photo: Marcus Beckford/Blykalla)

An official ground breaking on Monday for Swedish nuclear company Blykalla’s advanced reactor testing site marked a pivotal step in putting decades of research into action.

NANO Nuclear opens N.Y. site to demonstrate microreactor technology

February 5, 2025, 12:00PMNuclear News
Concept art of NANO Nuclear’s ALIP MR-12 internal structure (skeleton). (Image: Nano Nuclear)

To better educate customers and stakeholders on its technology, NANO Nuclear Energy has opened a new demonstration facility in Westchester County, N.Y., that offers an up-close look at nonnuclear parts and components of the four microreactors the company has in development.

U.S. may help bring nuclear energy to El Salvador

February 5, 2025, 9:39AMNuclear News
El Salvador foreign minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco and U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio signed a nuclear energy MOU. (Photo: X)

Officials from the United States and the Republic of El Salvador signed a memorandum of understanding Monday, agreeing to cooperate on strategic civil nuclear development.

In one of his first acts in office, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio signed the MOU with El Salvadoran foreign minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco during his recent visit.

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INL joins with Idaho universities on advanced projects

February 5, 2025, 7:01AMNuclear News
INL director John Wagner and University of Idaho president C. Scott Green at the SUPER agreement signing. (Photo: INL)

New Strategic Understanding for Premier Education and Research (SUPER) agreements signed by Idaho National Laboratory, Boise State University, and University of Idaho will foster collaboration among the institutions in advanced energy and cybersecurity projects. The five-year agreements are designed to open doors for research and development opportunities, while advancing existing research and development initiatives, including projects in nuclear energy and high-performance computing.

NRC issues Palisades’ draft environmental review, seeks public comment

February 4, 2025, 3:00PMNuclear News

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking for public comments until March 3 on its environmental assessment (EA) and draft finding of no significant impact at Michigan’s Palisades nuclear power plant, where Holtec hopes to restart operations by the end of 2025.

U.S. Senate confirms Chris Wright as energy secretary

February 4, 2025, 9:31AMNuclear News

Wright

The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Chris Wright, President Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Energy. The confirmation vote was 59–38. Eight Democrats, including both senators from Colorado, signed off on Wright.

Wright—a Colorado native—is founder, chief executive, and chair of the board of Liberty Energy, a Denver-based energy development company specializing in fracking. He also sits on the board of directors for Oklo, a Silicon Valley–based developer of small modular reactors.

Wright was grilled by the Senate’s committee on Energy and Natural Resources during a January 15 hearing, where he made comments in support of nuclear energy and efforts to expand domestic generation in the near future.

He also repeated an earlier stated belief that “there’s no such thing as clean energy or dirty energy.” Wright was called out during the hearing by Senate Democrats for comments he made arguing that climate change has not fueled more frequent and severe wildfires, which, the Washington Post reported, is a claim at odds with the scientific consensus.

Jimmy Carter: America’s first nuclear president

February 4, 2025, 7:02AMNuclear NewsCraig Piercy

Craig Piercy
cpiercy@ans.org

James Earl Carter, the 39th president of the United States, passed away in Plains, Ga., on December 29. He was America’s first president formally trained in the applications of nuclear science and technology, and as such, knowing nothing else, one might imagine that he would be held in universally high regard by the U.S. nuclear community.

The reality is more, well . . . complicated.

Industry Update—February 2025

February 3, 2025, 3:00PMNuclear News

Here is a recap of industry happenings from the recent past:

ADVANCED REACTOR MARKETPLACE

Mission of Gen IV International Forum is extended

A framework agreement to continue the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) beyond its scheduled February 2025 expiration was signed by representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom at November’s COP29 meeting in Azerbaijan. The new agreement, which excludes previous signatory Russia, focuses on the sharing of information and pooling of funds for advanced nuclear technologies. The agreement also sets a goal of deploying fourth-generation nuclear technology by 2030. The specific advanced technologies identified by the forum are gas-cooled fast reactors, lead-cooled fast reactors, molten salt reactors, sodium-cooled fast reactors, supercritical water–cooled reactors, and very-high-temperature reactors.

Core Power, Glosten partner to develop U.S. floating nuclear plant

February 3, 2025, 12:00PMNuclear News
Concept art showing a FNPP design. (Image: Glosten)

A team of innovative companies has plans to bring floating nuclear power plants to U.S. ports.

Core Power, a maritime and nuclear technology company, announced in January a new partnership in with naval architecture company Glosten. The pair is working on a design for a floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) that could generate up to 175 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity annually and provide clean power to ships, equipment, and port vehicles, Offshore Energy reported.

OPG’s refurbished Darlington-1 begins Co-60 production

February 3, 2025, 7:02AMNuclear News
OPG and Nordion employees at Darlington’s recently refurbished Unit 1, which has been modified to produce cobalt-60 isotopes. (Photo: OPG)

Ontario Power Generation in Canada announced that Unit 1 of its Darlington nuclear power plant, which has returned to service from refurbishment, is now producing the medical isotope cobalt-60. During refurbishment activities, OPG made modifications to the unit to allow it to produce Co-60, which is used to sterilize 30 percent of the world’s single-use medical devices, such as syringes, gloves, and implants.

Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication

January 31, 2025, 3:18PMNuclear NewsJong H. Kim, Gyuseong Cho, Kun-Woo Cho, Tae Soon Park & Keon W. Kang

Despite its significant benefits, the public perception of radiation is generally negative due to its inherent nature: it is ubiquitous yet cannot be seen, heard, smelled, or touched—as if it were a ghost roaming around uncensored. The public is frightened of this seemingly creepy phantom they cannot detect with their senses. This unfounded fear has hampered the progress of the nuclear industry and radiation professions.