Charlotte, N.C.–based Geenex, a developer of utility-scale solar power and battery storage within the PJM Interconnection, announced on Tuesday that it is expanding into nuclear energy development, focusing on the siting and permitting of advanced small modular reactors.

An opportunity to request an adjudicatory hearing for Duke Energy Carolinas’ early site permit (ESP) application for the Belews Creek site in Stokes County, N.C., has been announced by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The notice of the opportunity was published February 9 in the Federal Register. The deadline to file a request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene is April 10, 2026.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agreed to review an early site permit (ESP) renewal application submitted by Entergy last September for its Grand Gulf site in Mississippi, currently home to one 1,433-MWe boiling water reactor. The initial ESP for the site had been issued in 2007, following a 2003 application submittal.

A nuclear energy working group convened by the Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) and tasked with investigating the feasibility of bringing nuclear to the state recently released a report that concluded that—for now—nuclear is not right for Hawaii.

The bill: The HSEO was ordered to convene a nuclear energy working group by state Senate Concurrent Resolution 136, which was passed during last year’s legislative session. The task force was specifically charged with investigating the feasibility of advanced nuclear power technologies in the state, along with identifying barriers to and risks associated with deploying those technologies. Those benefits and risks were far reaching in scope, including regulatory, statutory, financial, social, and environmental factors.

On New Year’s Eve, Holtec International submitted Part 1 of a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeking a limited work authorization (LWA) to begin construction of a two-unit SMR-300 plant at the company’s site in Covert, Mich.

Named Pioneer-1 and -2, the twin 340-MWe pressurized water reactors would join the 777-MWe Palisades PWR that began operating in 1971, shut down in 2022, and is expected to reconnect to the grid—slightly delayed—early this year. According to Holtec’s application documents, Part 2 of its construction permit will be filed no later than mid-2027.

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency has published the third edition of the NEA Small Modular Reactor Dashboard, a comprehensive global review of SMR technology that defines criteria for assessing progress in the development of these advanced reactors. The assessments are based on six dimensions of readiness: licensing, siting, financing, supply chain, engagement, and fuel.

Talen Energy Corporation and Amazon have signed an expanded power purchase agreement (PPA) whereby Talen agrees to supply electricity from its Susquehanna nuclear power plant for AI operations and other cloud technologies at Amazon Web Services’ data center campus next to the power plant.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has posted a list of the advantages and challenges of using nuclear energy to power AI data centers, which some estimates suggest could consume as much as 12 percent of U.S. energy production by 2028. The DOE also posted a brief video on its YouTube channel to accompany the list.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law on Monday that adds nuclear to the state’s clean energy portfolio—making nuclear power eligible for new sources of project financing at the state, county, and city levels.

The Department of Energy reissued a $900 million solicitation on March 24 designed to de-risk the deployment of “Gen-III+” light water small modular reactors. The same funding was previously offered in October 2024, with applications due January 17. Now, potential applicants have until April 23 to apply for a grant under a solicitation modified to “better align with President Trump's bold agenda to unleash American energy and AI dominance.”

Merz

The conservative Christian Democratic Union came out on top in Germany’s February 23 election. CDU leader Friedrich Merz achieved a “lackluster win,” as the Associated Press termed it, but his party’s political agenda could mean a revival for nuclear energy in Germany.

The country shut down its final nuclear reactor in 2023, in large part as a reaction to the 2011 accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Now many Germans are taking a renewed interest in clean, reliable nuclear power.

First, Merz and the CDU need to form a coalition to secure at least 316 votes in Parliament before he can be formally elected chancellor of Germany, the AP reports. Provisional results shared by Politico show that the CDU carried 28.5 percent of Sunday’s vote, trailed by the Alternative for Germany Party with 20.8 percent, the Social Democratic Party with 16.4 percent, and Alliance 90/the Greens with 11.6 percent.

The International Energy Agency has published a new report examining opportunities for the nuclear power industry to address concerns related to energy security and climate change. The Path to a New Era for Nuclear Energy explores areas of policy, innovation, construction, and financing with an emphasis on investment-related issues regarding small modular reactors.

The IEA report describes encouraging developments taking place in the nuclear energy industry, such as increasing investment, technology advances, and supportive policies in many countries. But it also notes that certain key challenges need to be overcome if nuclear energy is to meet the needs of rising electricity demand, including demands from artificial intelligence and data centers. In addition to examining the present global status of nuclear power, the report evaluates the long-term outlook, quantifying expected capacity and investment through 2050.

“SMRs present a viable opportunity for Indiana to transition to a cleaner, resilient, and diversified energy future. Successful deployment of SMR technology requires a careful balance of economic, regulatory and social considerations along with development of the technology.” Those are among the conclusions of a comprehensive study conducted on small modular reactors primarily by researchers at Purdue University and funded by the Indiana Office of Energy Development.

Argonne National Laboratory will play a leading role in planning and rebuilding a nuclear-generated clean energy infrastructure for postwar Ukraine as part of the lab’s focus on developing small modular reactor applications to help countries meet energy security goals. The latest plans, described in a November 19 article, were announced on November 16 at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Wright

Oil industry executive Chris Wright has been selected by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next secretary of energy. Wright is also to serve on Trump’s new Council of National Energy, which, Trump said in a statement over the weekend, “will consist of all departments and agencies involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, of ALL forms of American energy.” Trump previously named North Dakota governor Doug Burgum as head of that council.

Following the announcement of his selection, Wright posted on X, “My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure. Energy is the lifeblood that makes everything in life possible. Energy matters.”

Washington, D.C. — Craig Piercy, CEO of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), issued the following statement:

"The American Nuclear Society applauds the announced partnerships between Google and Kairos Power and by Amazon and X-energy. Together, these deals will add at least 820 megawatts of zero carbon electricity to the U.S. energy supply. This is a major step toward securing the commercial deployment of advanced nuclear technologies that will make the world a cleaner and more prosperous place."

A white paper produced by Schneider Electric makes the case for using small modular reactors to meet the energy challenges of the data center sector. “Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Suitability for Data Centers,” by Marcin Wegrzyn and Steven Carlini, discusses the potential SMRs offer for supplying reliable, low-carbon energy to data centers, along with enhanced operational safety and improved energy resiliency, compared with renewable alternatives. However, to better evaluate SMR suitability for the continued technological advancement of data centers, an improved regulatory landscape, and ongoing international cooperation are necessary.

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors approved $150 million in additional funding to continue design work and TVA’s plans for small modular reactors at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tenn. With that decision late last week and an initial $200 million investment announced in early 2022, TVA has put a total of $350 million toward the development of SMRs at the site.

Wald

“We’re going to have to do things differently if we hope to trim the output of climate-changing emissions,” writes Matthew L. Wald in an essay recently published by the Breakthrough Institute. Wald is an independent energy analyst, writer, and Nuclear News contributor who formerly worked for the Nuclear Energy Institute and the New York Times. In the essay, he says that despite optimism surrounding progress in clean energy, consumption of fossil fuels is growing, and greenhouse gas emissions are increasing.

Wald suggests that this situation is unlikely to turn around until small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear technologies are demonstrated to be commercially viable.

Race to zero emissions? Wald notes that “global consumption of fossil fuels grew 1.5 percent last year.” Furthermore, “the fossil mix is getting worse; oil was up even faster than total fossil consumption, and demand passed 100 million barrels a day for the first time.