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.

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.

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.”

Nuclear waste disposal technology company Deep Isolation Nuclear announced it has signed a technology licensing agreement with government contractor Navarro Research and Engineering, giving Navarro access to Deep Isolation’s portfolio of intellectual property for use in nuclear and hazardous waste management applications across the states of Tennessee and Idaho.

Centrus Energy announced a plan yesterday to add 300 new jobs at Centrus’s uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio, “in advance of federal funding decisions.” The company envisions adding capacity for both low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium production at its American Centrifuge Plant, but the “size and scope” of public and private investment is “subject to being selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy.”

More than 300 delegates from around the world attended the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency’s recent Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2025 conference in Paris, France. In attendance were representatives from governments, industry, public and private financial sectors, academia, legal firms, think tanks, and research institutions. Cohosted by the Korean government, the event focused on practical, near-term solutions to barriers facing nuclear new builds.

Atlanta-based radiation equipment provider Mirion announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Paragon Energy Solutions, a leading provider of engineering technology for the nuclear power industry. Mirion purchased Paragon, based in Fort Worth, Texas, from Windjammer Capital Investors for approximately $585 million.

El Segundo, Calif.–based reactor start-up Valar Atomics recently announced that it has broken ground on its test reactor, the Ward 250, at Utah San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL), becoming the second company participating in the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program to do so.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has posted a video of the implosion of a 1970s-era, 540-foot-tall hyperbolic cooling tower at its Hartsville site in Tennessee, which once was to have hosted a nuclear power plant. The tower crashed to the ground at the hands of a demolition crew on September 18 as part of TVA’s actions to get rid of old, obsolete, and unused structures in the Tennessee Valley region and make room for future projects that are expected to add more than 6,200 megawatts of power.

Zeno Power, a developer of nuclear batteries, is to receive americium-241 recovered from Orano’s La Hague nuclear fuel recycling site in Normandy, France, under a strategic agreement announced by the companies on September 24.

Kim

Recently, Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization Chair Seungjin Kim talked with Nuclear News about NEDHO’s current condition, governmental funding for NEDHO and university research, the impact of artificial intelligence and other technologies in the classroom, the influence of advanced reactors in nuclear engineering education, and other issues.

Kim, who is an ANS Fellow, is the Captain James F. McCarthy Jr. and Cheryl E. McCarthy Head of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind. He began his 2025–2026 term as NEDHO chair earlier this year. He took over from the previous chair, Sukesh Aghara, professor and director of the Nuclear and Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts–Lowell.

The American Nuclear Society’s ANS Cares Committee recently hosted a webinar examining and exploring ways to overcome the common cost barriers to pursuing a nuclear education.