Blye Widmar

"Where are the prints?!"

This was the final question in an onslaught of verbal feedback, comments, and critiques I received from my students back in 2019. I had two years of instructor experience and was teaching a class that had been meticulously rehearsed in preparation for an accreditation visit. I knew the training material well and transferred that knowledge effectively enough for all the students to pass the class. As we wrapped up, I asked the students how they felt about my first big system-level class, and they did not hold back.

“Why was the exam from memory when we don’t work from memory in the plant?” “Why didn’t we refer to the vendor documents?” “Why didn’t we practice more on the mock-up?” And so on.

The operating licenses for the three boiling water reactors at Browns Ferry nuclear power plant, in Athens, Ala., have each been renewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for an additional 20 years. The reactors, operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, are now licensed to operate until December 2053 for Unit 1, June 2054 for Unit 2, and July 2056 for Unit 3.

The Department of Energy has issued a three-year contract extension to Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO), a single-purpose entity comprising Bechtel National and Los Alamos Technical Associates as a teaming contractor, for the continued management and operations of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the DOE’s geologic repository for defense-generated transuranic waste in southeastern New Mexico.

Workers change out spent 27,000-pound TSCR filter columns and place them on a nearby storage pad during a planned outage in 2023. (Photo: DOE)

While the Department of Energy recently celebrated the beginning of hot commissioning of the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), which has begun immobilizing the site’s radioactive tank waste in glass through vitrification, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has reported a possible bottleneck in waste processing. According to the DNFSB, unless current systems run efficiently, the issue could result in the interruption of operations at the WTP’s Low-Activity Waste Facility, where waste vitrification takes place.

During operations, the LAW Facility will process an average of 5,300 gallons of tank waste per day, according to Bechtel, the contractor leading design, construction, and commissioning of the WTP. That waste is piped to the facility after being treated by Hanford’s Tanks Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system, which filters undissolved solid material and removes cesium from liquid waste.

According to a November 7 activity report by the DNFSB, the TSCR system may not be able to produce waste feed fast enough to keep up with the LAW Facility’s vitrification rate.

When Constellation decided to install replacement Alstom low-pressure turbines at three of its boiling water reactor plants more than 15 years ago, one benefit was knowing the new turbines should operate reliably—and without major inspections—for several years.

Reactor-agnostic TRISO fuel producer Standard Nuclear recently announced that it has executed an other transaction agreement (OTA) with the Department of Energy. As one of the five companies involved in the DOE’s Fuel Line Pilot Program, its entrance into this deal marks a milestone in the public-private effort to bring advanced fuel production on line in support of the DOE’s concurrently running Reactor Pilot Program.

Five companies are the recipients of Department of Energy awards to support the development, modification, and licensing of transportation packages for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel. HALEU, which is enriched between 5 percent and 20 percent, is the type of fuel required for the operation of many of the small advanced nuclear reactors that are being designed and developed by U.S. companies.

Holtec International announced that it has been awarded a turnkey supply contract by Taiwan Power Company to establish indoor dry spent nuclear fuel storage facilities at both the closed Chinshan and Kuosheng nuclear power plant sites on the island nation.

In April, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14270, “Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy,” which calls for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (along with the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency) to issue a “sunset rule” to effectively nullify certain regulations in no more than five years.

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration reported that it has removed all cesium-137 irradiators from the state of Oklahoma.

Independent sampling and analysis of the 17th batch of ALPS-treated water, which Tokyo Electric Power Company has been discharging on from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, has confirmed that the tritium concentration is far below Japan’s operational limit, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

. . . and in 2019, on his 90th birthday.

Swanson in 1951, the year of his college graduation . . .

My pre-college years were spent in a rural suburb of Tacoma, Wash. In 1947, I enrolled in Reed College, a small liberal arts school in Portland, Ore.; I majored in chemistry and graduated in 1951. While at Reed, I met and married a young lady with whom I would raise 3 children and spend the next 68 years of my life—almost all of them in Richland, Wash., where I still live.

I was fortunate to have a job each of my “college summers” that provided enough money to cover my college costs for the next year; I don’t think that is possible these days. My job was in the kitchen/dining hall of a salmon cannery in Alaska. Room and board were provided and the cannery was in an isolated location, so I could save almost every dollar of my salary.

In a flurry of announcements this week, NextEra Energy confirmed new deals across the energy sector with Symmetry, Meta, Basin Electric, WPPI Energy, and Google. These deals are primarily focused on enabling more nuclear build-out for the artificial intelligence boom.

The Department of Energy has announced that the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) has reached a commissioning milestone, producing more than 20 stainless steel containers of immobilized low-activity radioactive waste.

Each year, the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) recognizes graduate and undergraduate students for their innovative nuclear energy research. The winners of the Innovations in Nuclear Energy Research and Development Student Competition (INSC) receive honoraria along with travel and conference opportunities, including the chance to present their publications at the annual American Nuclear Society Winter Conference & Expo.

Santee Cooper, South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility, recently announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Brookfield Asset Management.

Longenecker & Associates has announced a $500,000 pledge from John and Bonnie Longenecker to the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, Nev. The contribution will strengthen the museum’s missions to inform the public about America’s national security legacy and current programs and to inspire students, educators, and young professionals pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Westinghouse Parts Business plays a vital role in maintaining the critical assets of customers and ensuring safety and reliability through high-quality spare parts, component repairs, and equipment upgrades. Obsolescence and sourcing qualified replacements remain major challenges in the nuclear industry. To address these, Westinghouse provides targeted solutions for obsolete parts and manages comprehensive obsolescence programs.

France’s Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) completed its technical review and issued a satisfactory opinion on Andra’s license application to construct the Cigéo deep geological disposal facility. Andra is the French national agency responsible for the safe management of all radioactive waste in the country.

Nieh

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is now back up to four commissioners. Following a 66–32 confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate last month, Ho Nieh was officially sworn in last week.

He fills the seat left vacant following the dismissal of Christopher Hanson and is set to serve through the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029.

Quotable: “I am grateful for the opportunity to return to the NRC to work alongside such a competent and dedicated workforce," said Nieh, in the NRC’s press release announcing his being sworn in. "This agency shaped my career and my commitment to nuclear safety. It is an incredible honor to have been appointed by President Trump to serve on the Commission, and I look forward to serving alongside Chairman Wright, Commissioner Crowell, and Commissioner Marzano. I am energized by the opportunities the NRC has to enable the safe use of nuclear technologies for America during this pivotal period in its history.”