Sunday, April 26, at 1:23 a.m. local time will mark 40 years since the most severe nuclear accident in history: the meltdown of Unit 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.

In the ensuing four decades, countless books, documentaries, articles, and conference sessions have examined Chernobyl’s history and impact from various angles. There is a similar abundance of outlooks in the archives of Nuclear News, where hundreds of scientists, advocates, critics, and politicians have shared their thoughts on Chernobyl over the years. Today, we will take a look at some highlights from the pages of NN to see how the story of Chernobyl evolved over the decades.

Nuclear rocket propulsion has been investigated for decades, and NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission carried out significant testing in the 1960s as part of the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application program. NERVA chased the potential of the efficiency and energy density of nuclear thermal propulsion to extend our reach to new space frontiers before the program ended in 1973.

Orano USA announced on April 22 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) outlining their cooperative relationship to support the construction of Project Ike, Orano’s planned $5 billion centrifuge uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

The Department of Energy is asking for industry input on the United States’ readiness to produce “up to four space reactors within five years,” according to a request for information that opened on Tuesday.

With a quick turnaround—the deadline for responses is May 5—the RFI asks for an assessment of gaps or challenges related to reactor design, long-lead-time components, and fuel allocation or production.

Construction has officially begun on TerraPower’s first Natrium power plant, in Kemmerer, Wyo. The company expects this demonstration facility—featuring a 345-MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with an integrated molten salt–based heat storage system, which can temporarily boost power output to 500 MWe—to become the first “utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant” in the United States.

The Department of Energy on April 22 issued two requests for applications seeking proposals from private industry on kickstarting the reprocessing and recycling of spent nuclear fuel in the United States.

According to the DOE, the RFAs represent an unprecedented opportunity for the private sector to restore the nation’s nuclear leadership.

All five commissioners of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission provided insight into the agency’s priorities, activities, and its proposed $892.3 million budget for fiscal year 2027 when they testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce’s Energy subcommittee on Wednesday.

The Department of the Air Force has selected three companies to be potential developers and operators of microreactors at Air Force installations as part of the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) program: Radiant Industries, Antares Nuclear, and Westinghouse Government Services.

The French Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ASNR) has published a decision on how it will be regulating ITER, opting to approve the organization’s request to exclude its vacuum vessel from French and European pressure equipment rules.

Nevada-based Eagle Nuclear Energy said it will conduct a 27,000-foot investigative drill program at its flagship Aurora Uranium Project along the Oregon–Nevada border beginning in July.

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency’s International Regulatory Laboratory (RegLab) Project, which brings together experts from across the nuclear field to examine the potential impact of emerging technologies, has released a report on its first cycle that details the outcomes of a RegLab focused on the use of artificial intelligence in real-time monitoring of nuclear power plants.

Participants started out with an initial problem/opportunity statement, from which they developed a use case and a mock safety, security, safeguards, and environmental protection (SSSE) case. Then, over the course of two workshops, participants considered these cases in depth.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has spent the past week courting members of Congress to approve his agency’s $53.9 billion discretionary budget request for fiscal year 2027. On Tuesday, Wright spoke before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. On April 15, Wright testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy & Water Development and Related Agencies. And on April 16, he testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee.

On Friday, two of the four cofounders at Fermi America unexpectedly exited their roles at the company. Those were Toby Neugebauer, former CEO and chairman of the board of directors, and Miles Everson, former chief financial officer.

While both Neugebauer and Everson will still serve on the board of directors, this reshuffling has raised questions regarding the overall stability of Fermi’s flagship Project Matador, which aims to deploy four AP1000s on a massive data center campus in Texas.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is moving forward with its plans to reorganize around three core business lines: new reactors, operating reactors, and nuclear materials and waste. In order to do that, the agency will establish two new offices: the Office of Advanced Reactors (OAR) and the Office of the Chief Nuclear Reactor Inspector (CNRI).

Earlier today, Zeno Power announced the completion of the final design review for an americium-241–fueled radioisotope power system (RPS) developed for Harmonia RPS, a NASA Artemis Tipping Point project.

The Harmonia RPS project will now begin the build and fabrication phase. Zeno plans to complete a terrestrial demonstration of an electrically heated system in early 2027 and is aiming for flight qualification for lunar missions beginning in 2028.

Craig Piercy
cpiercy@ans.org

In this month’s issue of Nuclear News, readers will find coverage of the “other” areas where nuclear technology is pushing into new frontiers. From marine nuclear propulsion to nuclear systems that enable planetary exploration, the articles in these pages are a reminder that the influence of applied nuclear science extends far beyond the electric grid.

When many people hear the phrase “civil nuclear technology,” they still think first of power plants—an understandable association. Nuclear power has been one of the most reliable sources of large-scale electricity for decades. It is our storefront.

But nuclear technology has always been bigger than electrons.

On April 17, Kairos Power broke ground on its Hermes 2 demonstration plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., for which it received test reactor construction permits from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November 2024. Kairos expects Hermes 2 to begin operations by 2030, when the fluoride salt–cooled high temperature reactor could become the first NRC-licensed non–light water reactor to produce power.

Heavy metal rods are placed into large stainless steel TRIGA spent fuel canisters to test their load-bearing capabilities. (Photo: DOE)

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management announced last week that it is preparing to receive a shipment of spent nuclear fuel from Penn State University’s research reactor. The fuel is being shipped to Idaho National Laboratory for research purposes.

DOE-EM said crews with the Idaho Cleanup Project recently fabricated and tested four stainless steel canisters that will be used to receive and store the used TRIGA fuel. (“TRIGA” stands for “Training, Research, Isotope, General Atomics.”)

Commercial operations have resumed at Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture, Tokyo Electric Power Company has announced.

Last week’s commercial restart of Unit 6, a 1,315-MWe boiling water reactor, is the first for a TEPCO nuclear facility since the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami triggered an accident at the utility’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The American Nuclear Society’s 2026 Annual Conference is coming up fast. From May 31 to June 3, leaders from across the nuclear industry will gather in Denver, Colo., to discuss the state of the industry and emerging opportunities.

To register for the conference, make hotel reservations, and explore the full program, visit ans.org/meetings/ac2026/.