In August, there was much buzz about the Food and Drug Administration ordering a recall on frozen shrimp imported from Indonesia that was found to be contaminated with cesium-137. While the level of radioactivity in the shrimp was orders of magnitude below a level that would cause any measurable harm to consumers, the concentration of Cs-137 was nonetheless unusual.

Better information regarding the specific work needed to finish cleaning up contaminated soil and legacy landfills at Department of Energy nuclear sites could help the department better prioritize cleanup projects and improve budgeting decisions, according to an audit by the Government Accountability Office.

Over the past several weeks, there has been a lot of activity on the nuclear front in Kansas, ranging from new nuclear sitings to investments.

At a glance: TerraPower signed a memorandum of understanding with Evergy and the Kansas government on small modular reactors; Deep Fission announced investments in Kansas, Utah, and Texas; and the Kansas Board of Regents will invest $15 million in energy projects. Read on to get more information on these items.

Energy company Ansaldo Energia recently hosted a ceremony at its headquarters in Genoa, Italy, marking the launch of the Master in Technologies for Nuclear Power Plants program, which it developed in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano. A call for graduates in engineering, physics, and chemistry issued in May attracted more than 300 applications, 26 of which were selected for the program.

Canadian uranium provider Cameco has calculated an end-of-September spot price for uranium of $82.63 per pound—the highest mark of 2025. The lowest spot price listed all year by Cameco was $64.23 per pound at the end of March, while the previous high was $78.50 per pound at the end of June.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized Urenco USA to enrich uranium up to 10 percent U-235 following changes to plant systems and procedures and an operational readiness review. The company announced the news today, two days after the NRC issued its authorization on September 30 and said that all existing and future cascades at its Eunice, N.M., enrichment facility will be licensed to produce both low-enriched uranium, typically enriched to 5 percent fissile U-235, and LEU+, between 5 and 10 percent U-235.

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

ADVANCED REACTOR MARKETPLACE

New international partnership to speed Xe-100 SMR deployment

X-energy, Amazon, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and Doosan Enerbility have formed a strategic partnership to accelerate the deployment of X-energy’s Xe-100 small modular reactors and TRISO fuel in the United States to meet the power demands from data centers and AI. The partners will collaborate in reactor engineering design, supply-chain development, construction planning, investment strategies, long-term operations, and global opportunities for joint AI-nuclear deployment. The companies also plan to jointly mobilize as much as $50 billion in public and private investment to support advanced nuclear energy in the U.S.

The American Nuclear Society’s Risk-informed, Performance-based Principles and Policy Committee (RP3C) has held another presentation in its monthly Community of Practice (CoP) series. Former RP3C chair N. Prasad Kadambi opened the meeting with brief introductory remarks about the RP3C and the need for new approaches to nuclear design that go beyond conventional and deterministic methods. He then welcomed this month’s speaker: Doug Gerstner, a nuclear safety engineer at Idaho National Laboratory, who presented “Application of a Qualitative RIPB Approach for the MARVEL Microreactor at INL.”

Watch the full webinar here.

The Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will furlough thousands of employees and operate at reduced capacity under a government shutdown that started after midnight on October 1 following a failed congressional vote on a short-term funding bill.

The Department of Energy has fast-tracked its selections for the Fuel Line Pilot Program. Four companies—Oklo, Terrestrial Energy, TRISO-X, and Valar Atomics—were named September 30 as “conditional selections” for a “fast-track approach to commercial licensing,” bringing the total to five. The first company conditionally chosen for a DOE-authorized fuel fabrication facility—Standard Nuclear—was named less than three weeks after the program opened to applicants in July.

Kock

Andrea Kock was named director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards.

Kock was previously the Region I administrator in King of Prussia, Pa., and had been serving recently as temporary head of the NMSS.

NMSS licenses and regulates the facilities and materials associated with the processing, transport, and handling of nuclear materials, including uranium recovery activities and the fuel used in commercial nuclear reactors. The office also implements the NRC’s Agreement State program; liaises with American Indian tribal governments; and supports agency rulemaking, environmental review, and financial assurance projects.

After making waves last week at Idaho National Laboratory by breaking ground on its first Aurora Powerhouse reactor, Oklo has again made headlines this week by partnering with Stockholm, Sweden–based advanced reactor developer Blykalla.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses of NextEra Energy’s Point Beach Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years. The Two Rivers, Wis., plant will now be able to operate into the 2050s.

The Office of Radiological Security of the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration has partnered with Texas A&M University to fight the New World screwworm (NWS), a devastating pest that damages—and sometimes kills—livestock, wildlife, pets, and humans.

Jennifer Wheeler

In this new era of nuclear, the word “scalable” can mean many different things. From new advanced reactor designs that can meet the diverse needs of big power users like hyperscalers to industrial process heat applications, and from remote rural communities to new fuel cycle facilities (conversion, enrichment, deconversion, fuel fabrication), there is much to consider when predicting and meeting developing demand signals.

The biggest challenge in scaling fuel fabrication is recognizing that scaling applies to much more than taking the specific process equipment used to manufacture fuel products from pilot scale to commercial scale to nth-of-a-kind scale. For a first-of-a-kind fuel facility where there is no available reference facility to use as a basis, there is a delicate balance—and often an iterative dance—between fuel demand, right-sizing the facility, and project financing. Let’s focus on three major areas: factory throughput, staffing, and space.

Connecticut has become the 40th state in the union to sign an agreement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that gives the state regulatory authority to manage certain radioactive materials within its borders.

Former Vice President Al Gore has a global reputation as a champion of environmental protection. He has also been known as an opponent of nuclear energy. However, his opinion on nuclear seems to be changing, as highlighted in the recent Axios article, “How AI is Helping Al Gore Warm Up to Nuclear Power.”

Following the same milestones from Aalo Atomics and Valar Atomics, Santa Clara, Calif.–based reactor start-up Oklo has become the third company participating in the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program to break ground on its fast-tracked project at Idaho National Laboratory.

Nuclear power plant refueling outages are among the most complex phases in a plant’s operational cycle.¹ During these outages, tens of thousands of activities, including maintenance and surveillance, are conducted simultaneously within a short timeframe. Typically lasting three to four weeks, these operations involve large crews of contractors with diverse skill sets performing tasks ranging from testing and surveillance to maintenance. Outages may extend longer if major backfitting or modernization projects are planned. Consequently, plant outages are expensive, incurring significant operational costs, such as contractor labor and equipment, as well as the loss of generation while the plant is off line. This can easily cost a plant operator more than $1 million a day. Therefore, there is a constant need to mitigate the economic impact on plants by reducing the frequency, duration, and risks associated with these outages.^2,3

Wagner

John Wagner, director of Idaho National Laboratory, spoke at the INL-hosted Western Governors’ Association’s Energy Superabundance conference earlier this week, where he stressed the importance of workforce development and training and educational opportunities for Idaho’s energy sector. He told conference attendees that INL is working to build and permit new nuclear reactors to help meet rapidly growing energy demands in the United States.

In a subsequent interview with the Idaho Capital Sun, Wagner explained the challenges of building the new nuclear workforce, saying, “When you think about your path, fast forward, and we’re building out many reactors in the West and beyond. It’s not just about nuclear engineers anymore. It’s about welders. It’s about all the different crafts. It’s about nuclear operators.”