General Fusion has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (SVAC) that would make General Fusion the first publicly traded pure-play fusion firm, the company announced on January 22. The business combination is projected to be completed in mid-2026.

Yesterday, Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced that it is in the process of partnering with Type One Energy and the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. That partnership will have one primary goal: to establish a high-heat flux facility (HHF) at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Energy Complex in Clinton, Tenn.

The Department of Energy is considering revisions to its regulations covering worker safety and health to help expedite the development of new nuclear reactors under its Reactor Pilot Program.

According to the DOE, the proposed changes to 10 CFR Part 851, “Worker Safety and Health Program,” have the benefit of “increased flexibility, streamlined processes, cost savings, enhanced agility, and improved worker engagement.”

Igunma

American Nuclear Society member Thompson Odion Igunma is a doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering at the University of Florida (UF) conducting research in collaboration with the Computational Mechanics and Materials Group at Idaho National Laboratory. His work focuses on advanced modeling of the complex interplay between molten salt corrosion, irradiation, and changes in alloy microstructure.

“I see molten salt reactors as a pivotal part of the next generation of nuclear energy,” Igunma said. “Their unique combination of safety, efficiency, and fuel flexibility makes them ideally suited to complement renewables in a low-carbon energy mix.”

Kairos Power has finalized a contract with the Department of Energy to receive high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from the agency for the company’s Hermes low-power demonstration reactor, currently under construction in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

In partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Kairos intends to use the DOE-provided material to produce HALEU TRISO fuel pebbles for Hermes. The company views the Hermes test reactor and the fuel fabrication program as crucial to the eventual success of its power-producing Hermes 2 demonstration plant, also to be sited in Oak Ridge, and future commercial fluoride salt–cooled high-temperature reactors.

Update: Operation of Unit 6 at Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture was suspended Thursday morning after its initial restart on the evening of Wednesday, January 21. According to TEPCO spokesperson Takashi Kobayashi, an alarm sounded “during reactor start-up procedures.” The cause is currently under investigation, but there is no danger inside or outside the plant. Plant chief Takeyuki Inagaki said at a news conference, “The equipment is essential to safe operation, and we will examine it inside-out.”

On January 16, Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee, Deputy Gov. Stuart McWhorter, and officials from Laser Isotope Separation Technologies announced the company’s plans to expand in Oak Ridge, Tenn. That expansion will come with a $1.38 billion investment from LIS Technologies for what the company says will be the first commercial laser uranium enrichment plant in the United States.

London-based professional services organization and maritime classification society Lloyd’s Register has brought together a group of experts from the U.K. nuclear, maritime, insurance, and regulatory sectors with the primary goal of establishing international standards “for safe, secure, and commercially viable nuclear-powered ships.”

This Maritime Nuclear Consortium includes Lloyd’s Register as the group’s lead, safety administrator, and secretariat; Rolls-Royce, specializing in advanced reactor design; Babcock International Group (ship design, construction, and support); Global Nuclear Security Partners (security and safeguards); Stephenson Harwood (legal and regulatory issues); and NorthStandard (insurance).

Utah-based EnergySolutions announced on January 15 that it has submitted a notice of intent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, confirming that the company plans to submit an application for a “major licensing action” for new nuclear generation at the closed Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin. Applications for an early site permit, construction permit, or combined license are currently being evaluated, the company said.

On January 15, in an 82–14 vote, the U.S. Senate passed an Energy and Water Development appropriations bill to fund the U.S. Department of Energy for fiscal year 2026 as part of a broader package that also funded the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

On January 16, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico signed an intergovernmental agreement to cooperate on the development of Slovakia’s civil nuclear power program. This agreement spans a variety of civil nuclear activities, but especially notable is the inclusion of a plan to develop an American 1,200-MWe commercial power reactor at Bohunice nuclear power plant.

Hash Hashemian
president@ans.org

In November, I flew to Paris, France, to speak at the World Nuclear Exposition. This wasn’t my first time at WNE, but it’s safe to say that the 2025 Expo was markedly different from years past. Excitement was palpable, and attendance was high—there were more than 25,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors. This enthusiasm reflects the growing nuclear momentum across Europe.

My opening remarks at the expo spotlighted the similar nuclear momentum on this side of the Atlantic, focusing on the recent strides made by both U.S. industry and government. I also highlighted the key challenges we still face: namely, workforce development, supply chains, fuel, and financing.

Pfluger

Levin

Rep. Mike Levin (D., Calif.) and Rep. August Pfluger (R., Texas) are urging Energy Secretary Chris Wright to establish a safe, effective, and long-term management program for spent nuclear fuel. In a January 15 letter to Wright, the two U.S. representatives asked the DOE to “break the current impasse over nuclear waste and develop a workable solution that encourages state collaboration.”

The letter was sent ahead of the DOE’s anticipated release of a new report that will recommend an updated national policy on spent nuclear fuel, as directed in Executive Order 14302, “Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base.”

The past few years have seen a concerted effort from many U.S. states to encourage nuclear development. The momentum behind nuclear-friendly policies has grown considerably, with many states repealing moratoriums, courting nuclear developers and suppliers, and in some cases creating advisory groups and road maps to push deployment of new nuclear reactors.

Nuclear power in space is back in the news for the second time this week as microreactor start-up Nano Nuclear has released a request for information to identify organizations that may support the company in the development of its Loki micro modular reactor. The company’s goal is eventual deployment of Loki on the lunar surface.

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have developed a multiphysics simulation modeling tool to predict how feedwater heater (FWH) tubes in a nuclear power plant break down over time. The model, which has the potential to improve maintenance schedules and save operating costs at nuclear facilities, is described in a paper titled “Numerical Analysis with Experimental Validation of Tube Fatigue Failure in Feedwater Heaters,” published in a recent issue of Engineering Failure Analysis.

A uranium enrichment monitor developed by a team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will soon be undergoing testing for nonproliferation applications at the International Atomic Energy Agency Centre of Excellence for Safeguards and Non-Proliferation in the United Kingdom. A recent PNNL news article describes how the research team, led by nuclear physicist James Ely, who works within the lab’s National Security Directorate, developed the UF₆ gas enrichment sensor (UGES) prototype for treaty verification and other purposes.

Today, a bipartisan group of experts including energy consultant Lake Barrett and former NRC chair Allison Macfarlane have published a report titled The Path Forward for Nuclear Waste in the U.S.

The report recommends a new solution for managing domestic nuclear waste—one that centers around the foundation of an independent corporation led by reactor owners. Responsibility for waste management transport, storage, and disposal would be managed by this corporation rather than the Department of Energy.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy announced the establishment of the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR), to be hosted at the Idaho National Laboratory and focused on spent nuclear fuel performance, canister aging, and the fostering of innovation and collaboration.

According to the DOE, the CUFR is designed to be a national and international hub for applied research that supports and maintains compliance and advances public confidence in the safe storage and transportation of both commercial and DOE-managed spent fuel.

In June of last year, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called on the New York Power Authority—the state's public power utility—to add at least 1 GW of new capacity to the electrical grid through the construction of an advanced nuclear power plant in upstate New York to support the state’s decarbonization goals.

It was good news for the nuclear community, to be sure, but in Hochul's State of the State address in Albany earlier this week, she made that objective sound almost unambitious.