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 the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, 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.

WM Symposia, which hosts the annual Waste Management Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., announced it has signed a practical arrangement with the International Atomic Energy Agency aimed at strengthening international collaboration in the safe management of radioactive waste, decommissioning, and environmental remediation.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has issued a letter of intent to fusion energy start-up Type One Energy regarding the utility’s interest in the potential deployment of Type One Energy’s fusion power plant technology at TVA’s former Bull Run fossil plant site once it is commercially ready.

Demand is increasing dramatically for carbon-free reliable power to support data center growth and ensure energy security. This creates a clear opportunity to accelerate new nuclear plant builds as well as optimize and extend plant life.

That’s where AI can help.

It soon will be time for the American Nuclear Society to hold its second annual conference of the year. The 2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo will take place November 9–12 in Washington, D.C., at the Washington Hilton.

Click here to register for the meeting and be sure to do so before October 17 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

Tyler Folse, a nuclear engineer with more than 10 years of experience, is bringing his unique spin and sense of humor to the masses as he debunks common nuclear misconceptions online.

The American Nuclear Society is hosting a Supplier Showcase webinar, “License Renewal: Smarter, Faster, Better,” tomorrow, September 23, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (ET) on the increasing urgency of submitting license renewals and subsequent license renewals both efficiently and accurately.

The webinar is free for all viewers and requires registration.

Last week saw a wave of U.S. and U.K. nuclear companies and organizations forging new transatlantic ties, with even the American Nuclear Society and the U.K.’s Nuclear Institute reaching a new agreement.

The University of New Mexico School of Engineering held its first-ever nuclear engineering camp, Experience Nuclear Engineering 2025, a free program for high school students.

Global engineering company Amentum announced plans on Thursday to create 3,000 new jobs over the next four years on the back of growth in nuclear power and defense in the United Kingdom.

The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s state visit to the U.K., during which a number of deals between the two countries were announced.