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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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DOE-NE’s newest fuel consortium includes defense from antitrust laws
The Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy is setting up a nuclear fuel Defense Production Act Consortium that will seek voluntary agreements with interested companies “to increase fuel availability, provide more access to reliable power, and end America’s reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials needed to power the nation’s nuclear renaissance.” According to an August 22 DOE press release, the plan invokes the Defense Production Act (DPA) to give consortium members “defense from antitrust laws when certain criteria are met” and “allow industry consultation to develop plans of action.” DOE-NE is looking for interested companies to join the consortium ahead of its first meeting, scheduled for October 14.
Gary Johnson (Private Consultant)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 699-710
Diverse actuation systems are an attempt to cope with unknown unknowns that may lead to common cause failure in the design of I&C safety systems in nuclear power plants. The diverse systems protect against postulated common cause failures internal to I&C safety system design, but are these really the most likely hazard? The intent of this paper is not to fully answer that question, but to begin a discussion of whether diverse actuation systems are the best way to address the unknown unknowns. Appendix 1 of this paper examines 19 severe accidents to identify the causes for safety system failures or late action that contributed to the events that resulted in significant core damage, as well as he contributions of diverse functions where such features played a role in the accidents. The paper also explores: • The role modern diverse systems might have played had they existed during the 19 events, and • Potential alternatives to diverse actuation systems.