Constellation is considering adding 2,000 MW of nuclear energy at Calvert Cliffs, located on Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Md., which would effectively double the site’s output, according to the company’s near- and long-term project proposals submitted to the Marland Public Service Commission this week.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy have updated a 2019 memorandum of understanding to coordinate on the review of advanced nuclear reactors and advanced reactor fuel technologies.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced it is canceling an upcoming advanced reactor stakeholder meeting, originally scheduled for November 19, due to the government shutdown and the limitations on staffing at the agency.

The European Investment Bank recently announced that it is providing €90 million ($103.8 million) in financing to Finnish nuclear power company Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO). The funding is to be used by TVO to support new upgrades and maintenance at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.

Dale Klein

This article was adapted from the author’s speech during a plenary at the 21st International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM 2025), San Antonio, Texas, July 2025.

There has been a lot of discussion lately about reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. But I want to be clear: When it comes to nuclear safety and security, there is no place for partisan politics. I support efforts to streamline regulatory processes, but the independence and integrity of the NRC must remain sacrosanct. If we are serious about expanding nuclear power and reclaiming our global leadership in nuclear technology, having a strong independent regulator is fundamental.

Right now, we’re on the edge of a global nuclear resurgence driven by rising demand from data centers, growing concerns about energy security, and the need to decarbonize industry.

Following the enthusiastic response from the nuclear community in 2024 for the inaugural NN 40 Under 40, the Nuclear News team knew we had to take up the difficult task in 2025 of turning it into an annual event—though there was plenty of uncertainty as to how the community would receive a second iteration this year. That uncertainty was unfounded, clearly, as the tight-knit nuclear community embraced the chance to celebrate its up-and-coming generation of scientists, engineers, and policy makers who are working to grow the influence of this oft-misunderstood technology.

Following a meeting last week with President Donald Trump, Japan has announced that it would provide up to $332 billion to support critical energy projects in the U.S., including the construction of nuclear reactor projects.

The Illinois General Assembly passed a clean energy bill on October 30 that would, in part, lift a 30-year moratorium on new nuclear energy in the state and create incentives for more energy storage.

In the report Fusion Forward: Powering America’s Future issued earlier this month by the Special Competitive Studies Project’s (SCSP) Commission on the Scaling of Fusion Energy, it warns that the United States is on the verge of losing the fusion power race to China.

Noting that China has invested at least $6.5 billion in its fusion enterprise since 2023, almost three times the funding received by the U.S. Department of Energy’s fusion program over the same period, the commission report urges the U.S. government to prioritize the rapid commercialization of fusion energy to secure U.S. national security and restore American energy leadership.

SCSP is a nonpartisan, nonprofit initiative making recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness in emerging technologies. Launched in fall 2024, the 13-member commission is led by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.) and Jim Risch (R., Idaho), along with SCSP president and commission co-chair Ylli Bajraktari.

New York is going after nuclear in a big way. The New York Power Authority is releasing its first solicitations for plans to develop advanced nuclear reactors in the state’s upstate communities, the power authority announced on October 30.