NextEra and Google ink a deal to restart Duane ArnoldA day anticipated by many across the nuclear community has finally arrived: NextEra Energy has officially announced its plans to restart Iowa’s only nuclear power plant, the Duane Arnold Energy Center.Go to Article
Westinghouse signs $80B contract to meet AI demandThe U.S. government has signed an $80 billion deal with Westinghouse Electric Company to build large-scale nuclear reactors to support growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence.Go to Article
Anfield Energy to start construction of Utah uranium mineBritish Columbia, Canada–based Anfield Energy has scheduled a ground-breaking ceremony on November 6 at its Velvet Wood uranium and vanadium mine, located in southeastern Utah’s Lisbon Valley. According to Anfield CEO Corey Dias, it will be “more than a ground breaking—it’s a bold declaration of Anfield’s readiness to help fuel the American nuclear renaissance.”Go to Article
Japan gets new U for enrichment as global power and fuel plans growPresident Trump is in Japan today, with a visit with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the agenda. Takaichi, who took office just last week as Japan’s first female prime minister, has already spoken in favor of nuclear energy and of accelerating the restart of Japan’s long-shuttered power reactors, as Reuters and others have reported. Much of the uranium to power those reactors will be enriched at Japan’s lone enrichment facility—part of Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.’s Rokkasho fuel complex—which accepted its first delivery of fresh uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) in 11 years earlier this month.Go to Article
House, Senate bills aim to improve nuclear decommissioning and waste disposalTwo bills were introduced in the last several weeks aiming to address nuclear power at the end of life—decommissioning plants and recycling used fuel.Go to Article
Surplus plutonium for power reactor fuel: What’s on offerThe Department of Energy has a plan for private companies to “dispose of surplus plutonium”—about 19.7 metric tons in both oxide and metal forms—by “making the materials available for advanced nuclear technologies.” A Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program request for applications (RFA) issued October 21 describes the plutonium on offer, and the “thresholds” prospective applicants must meet.Go to Article
Leading the charge: INL’s role in advancing HALEU productionIdaho National Laboratory is playing a key role in helping the U.S. Department of Energy meet near-term needs by recovering HALEU from federal inventories, providing critical support to help lay the foundation for a future commercial HALEU supply chain. INL also supports coordination of broader DOE efforts, from material recovery at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to commercial enrichment initiatives.Go to Article
Santee Cooper opts to reboot Summer reactor projectThe board of directors of South Carolina’s state-owned utility Santee Cooper voted today to approve the proposal from Brookfield Asset Management to complete two new AP1000 power reactors at the V.C. Summer site in Jenkinsville, S.C.Go to Article
NRC issues final environmental approval for TerraPower’s SMRTerraPower announced that the final environmental impact statement for its Natrium small modular reactor has been completed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.Go to Article
The last days of HallamThe Hallam nuclear power plant, about 25 miles southwest of Lincoln, Neb., was an important part of the Atomic Energy Commission’s Reactor Power Demonstration Program. But in the end, it operated for only 6,271 hours and generated about 192.5 million kilowatt-hours of electric power during its short, 15-month life. Go to Article