Nuclear News

Hawthorne, Calif.–based reactor start-up Valar Atomics recently announced that it has raised $130 million in its Series A funding round, led by venture capital groups Snowpoint, Day One, and Dream.

Canada’s Fusion Fuel Cycles Inc. (FFC), a joint venture between Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and Japan’s Kyoto Fusioneering, announced that it has officially entered the construction phase of its flagship project, the Unique Integrated Testing Facility (UNITY-2), at CNL’s Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario.

The Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations Office has approved the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement (NSDA) for Oklo Inc.’s Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility (A3F) at Idaho National Laboratory. The A3F is being built to fabricate fuel assemblies for Oklo’s Aurora Powerhouse, a liquid metal–cooled, metal-fueled fast reactor with a maximum power of 75 MWe.

Advanced reactor and fuel developer X-energy has officially begun confirmatory irradiation testing at Idaho National Laboratory on its TRISO-X fuel. The testing, which is taking place over the course of the next 13 months, will evaluate the fuel across a variety of operating scenarios and—if all goes according to plan—will be instrumental in qualifying it for commercial use.

At the American Nuclear Society’s Winter Conference & Expo, leaders of advanced reactor start-ups Radiant Industries, Oklo, and Valar Atomics praised the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program, in which the companies are participating. The program aims to get at least three reactors on line by July 4, 2026.

BWX Technologies and Purdue University have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on research focused on next-generation nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors and microreactors.

In a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Source Security Working Group (SSWG) is urging the U.S. government to withhold from imposing tariffs on Canadian-orgin cobalt-60 and to preserve the duty-free treatment of the radioisotope.

During speeches at the American Nuclear Society’s Winter Conference & Expo, happening this week in Washington, D.C., Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair David Wright both promised that the Trump administration will speed up nuclear reviews so the U.S. can maintain leadership in nuclear energy.

The DOE’s Wright took a stab at the NRC’s traditionally slow bureaucratic processes in approving primarily large light water reactors in the past, saying that the agency needs to speed up to meet the greater demand for new small modular reactors.

An end-of-October spot price for uranium of $80.00 per pound—down from the year high of $82.63 per pound in September—is still substantially higher than the year’s lowest price of $64.23 per pound at the end of March, according to uranium fuel provider Cameco.

Newcomer reactor start-up First American Nuclear (FANCO) has partnered with the state of Indiana to develop three projects: its company headquarters, new manufacturing facilities, and a nuclear energy park.

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.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have completed a draft supplemental environmental impact statement for a small modular reactor at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has issued a request for offer (RFO) seeking proposals from U.S. companies to build and power AI data centers on the DOE’s Paducah Site in Kentucky. Companies are being sought to potentially enter into one or more long-term leasing agreements at the site that would be solely funded by the applicants.

Curtis

Cantwell

Sens. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.) and John Curtis (R., Utah) have introduced a bill that would enable nuclear fusion energy technologies to have access to the federal advanced manufacturing production tax credit.

The companion version of the bill was introduced in the House by Reps. Carol Miller (R., W.Va.), Suzan DelBene (D., Wash.), Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.), and Don Beyer (D., Va.)

The Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act extends the federal advanced manufacturing production credit (45X) by adding a 25 percent tax credit for companies that are domestically manufacturing fusion energy components.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced the creation of the new JobsOhio Energy Opportunity Initiative, a $100 million fund that will be used in part to attract supply chain companies for small modular reactor manufacturing and for the creation of “nuclear energy center of excellence.”

The Trump White House has nominated seasoned nuclear regulatory expert Douglas Weaver for a commissioner seat on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If confirmed, Weaver would fill the seat vacated by NRC commissioner Annie Caputo, who resigned in July.

Weaver’s nomination was sent earlier today to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. If confirmed, he would finish the remainder of Caputo’s term, which expires June 30, 2026.

Constellation is considering adding 2,000 MW of nuclear energy at Calvert Cliffs, located on Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Md., which would effectively double the site’s output, according to the company’s near- and long-term project proposals submitted to the Marland Public Service Commission this week.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy have updated a 2019 memorandum of understanding to coordinate on the review of advanced nuclear reactors and advanced reactor fuel technologies.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced it is canceling an upcoming advanced reactor stakeholder meeting, originally scheduled for November 19, due to the government shutdown and the limitations on staffing at the agency.

The European Investment Bank recently announced that it is providing €90 million ($103.8 million) in financing to Finnish nuclear power company Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO). The funding is to be used by TVO to support new upgrades and maintenance at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.