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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Latest News
DOE issues new NEPA rule and procedures—and accelerates DOME reactor testing
Meeting a deadline set in President Trump’s May 23 executive order “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy,” the DOE on June 30 updated information on its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rulemaking and implementation procedures and published on its website an interim final rule that rescinds existing regulations alongside new implementing procedures.
L. J. Wittenberg, J. F. Santarius, G. L. Kulcinski
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 10 | Number 2 | September 1986 | Pages 167-178
Technical Paper | Fusion Fuel Cycles | doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24972
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An analysis of astrophysical information indicates that the solar wind has deposited an abundant, easily extractable source of 3He onto the surface of the moon. Apollo lunar samples indicate that the moon's surface soil contains ∼109 kg of 3He. If this amount of 3He were to be used in a 50% efficient D-3He fusion reactor, it would provide 107 GW(electric)-yr of electrical power. The energy required to extract 3He from the lunar regolith and transport it to earth is calculated to be ∼2400 GJ/kg. Since the D-3He reaction produces 6 × 105 GJ of energy per kilogram of 3He, the energy payback ratio is ∼250. Implications for the commercialization of D-3He fusion reactors and for the development of fusion power are discussed.