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.


UC San Diego joins General Atomics–led fusion collaborative

February 12, 2025, 7:02AMNuclear News
An experimental chamber that will be used by UC San Diego as part of the TINEX project. (Photo: David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering)

The University of California–San Diego has joined a new research collaborative focused on overcoming critical obstacles in developing and scaling up inertial fusion power plants. Led by San Diego-based General Atomics, the group was one of six research teams that were collectively awarded $107 million in January by the Department of Energy as part of the Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives.

Spain continues improvements in nuclear and radiation safety

February 11, 2025, 12:05PMNuclear News
IAEA team members conduct a follow-up review of Spain’s regulatory framework for nuclear and radiological safety. (Photo: CSN)

An International Atomic Energy Agency team has concluded that Spain has shown a strong commitment to nuclear and radiation safety, confirming that the country has successfully enhanced its regulatory framework, fully implementing IAEA recommendations made in 2018.

Arizona utilities trio looks to add nuclear power

February 10, 2025, 3:20PMNuclear News
Palo Verde nuclear power plant, near Tonopah, Ariz. (Photo: APS)

The top three utilities in Arizona are teaming up to explore opportunities to add nuclear generation facilities in the state.

Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) announced in a February 5 news release that they are working together to assess possible sites, including retiring coal plants. The group is looking at possibilities for both small modular reactors—units generating 300 MW or less—and potential large reactor projects, which could generate nearly five times the power.

Why push materials to their breaking point?

February 10, 2025, 11:21AMNuclear NewsStephen Taller

Stephen Taller

We push materials to their breaking point for you.

Millions of Americans rely on nuclear energy. It provides 20 percent of electrical power in the United States—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. To maintain this reliability, every material used in our reactors must work safely and efficiently.

I’m part of a team of world-class scientists, engineers, and technical professionals at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, testing and evaluating materials designed to thrive in one of the most complex environments on Earth. Nuclear reactors experience heavy stress loads, high temperatures, corrosive environments, and intense radiation fields. Combined, these forces can substantially impact the performance of cladding or other structural materials. We want to know where and under what conditions materials may fail to keep a reactor running safely and reliably.

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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.

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.