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Bill Gates Visits South Korea to Promote TerraPower Small Modular Reactor Cooperation

Bill Gates recently held a series of intensive meetings in South Korea with government agencies, financial institutions, and nuclear power industry chain companies, discussing the commercialization of TerraPower's small modular reactor (SMR), supply chain development, and global market expansion. Gates is the founder of TerraPower, which is advancing a next-generation small modular reactor project based on sodium-cooled fast reactor technology. Korea Eximbank (KEXIM) President Hwang Ki-yeon said on the 14th that he had met with Gates, and the two sides discussed financial cooperation plans needed for SMR commercialization and global market entry. Korea Eximbank plans to provide Terra...

2026-08-15

U.S. nuclear company TerraPower partners with Korean firms to advance Natrium advanced nuclear deployment in America

U.S. nuclear company TerraPower, backed by Bill Gates, is accelerating the commercialization of its advanced nuclear reactors. The company announced on August 14 that it has reached cooperation agreements with South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction and SK Innovation, aiming to advance the deployment of up to eight 345 MW Natrium reactors in the U.S. nuclear expansion. The first plant is expected to be completed by 2030, a timeline that underscores the urgency of deploying next-generation nuclear technology in the United States. Under the agreement, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has been selected as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for up to eight future Natrium reactor projects. The cooperation arrangement also includes related financing guarantee mechanisms, intended to enhance project bankability and reduce uncertainties in the early stages of large-scale construction. TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque stated that this marks a new phase of international cooperation with leading Korean institutions, reflecting the growing reliance of advanced nuclear projects on cross-border supply chains and engineering capabilities.

2026-08-15

Fermi Signs 222 MW Data Center Lease Agreement with TensorWave

Fermi Inc. announced on August 10 that its subsidiary, Fermi Campus 1 LLC, has signed its first binding customer lease agreement with TensorWave TEX1, LLC, a subsidiary of AI cloud service provider TensorWave Inc. The agreement covers the initial phase of Fermi's Project Matador campus in Carson County, Texas, with a capacity of 222 megawatts. Under the agreement, Fermi will be responsible for the development, construction, and delivery of the data center facilities, with TensorWave taking occupancy in phases. The facility is planned to...

2026-08-14

Blue Energy and GVH Advance 2.5 GW Gas-Plus-Nuclear Project in Texas

Blue Energy and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) announced on August 13 that they have signed an agreement to launch the next phase of deploying a 2.5 GW gas-plus-nuclear power project in Texas, United States. The project is located in Victoria, Texas. Under the agreement, the two parties will advance project engineering, licensing applications, and safety analyses, with a final investment decision planned for 2027. The project is expected to utilize GE Vernova's 7HA.02 gas turbine and GVH's BWRX-300 small modular reactor...

2026-08-14

U.S. Poll Shows Majority of Respondents Support Prioritizing Permanent Disposal of High-Level Waste

A recent survey conducted by market research and data analysis company YouGov shows that more than 80 percent of U.S. respondents believe finding a permanent disposal solution for high-level radioactive waste should be a national priority; after learning about relevant technical information, a significant number of respondents viewed deep geological disposal as a credible option. Prototype canister for borehole disposal (Image: Deep Isolation) The survey was commissioned by nuclear waste disposal technology company Deep Isolation Inc. and conducted in April this year among 1,000 U.S. adults with a nationally representative sample. The survey covered public attitudes toward nuclear energy, concerns about radioactive waste management...

2026-08-14

X-energy says U.S. Department of Energy plans to add up to $1 billion in funding for Texas advanced nuclear reactor project

X-energy CEO Clay Sell said during an earnings call on August 13 that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has informed the company it will add up to $1 billion in public funding for the advanced nuclear energy project it is advancing with Dow Inc. in Texas. Sell stated that total available public funding for the Dow project in Seadrift, Texas, will reach up to $2.15 billion since 2021. The additional funding will carry the same 50-50 cost-sharing requirement as the initial award. The project is supported by the DOE's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP)...

2026-08-14

Bill Gates Visits South Korea to Deepen SMR Cooperation with Korean Companies

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, founder of TerraPower, and chairman of the Gates Foundation, visited South Korea on August 13. This marks his first visit to the country since August last year, with the primary agenda of expanding cooperation in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs). At approximately 9:20 p.m. local time on the 13th, Gates arrived at Gimpo Business Aviation Center at Seoul Gimpo Airport via private jet. During his visit, he plans to meet with figures from the South Korean government, the National Assembly, and the business community. It is reported that Gates is scheduled to meet with South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on the 14th, with the meeting having been proposed by Gates' side...

2026-08-14

Idaho National Laboratory's Hot Fuel Examination Facility Named U.S. Nuclear Historic Landmark

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) recently designated the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as a Nuclear Historic Landmark. Since becoming operational in 1975, the facility has conducted post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuel and materials, and continues to support research on advanced reactors, commercial nuclear fuel, and related energy security. HFEF is located within the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) at Idaho National Laboratory and houses the largest inert-atmosphere hot cell in the United States dedicated to nuclear materials research. The hot cell operates in an argon environment and features approximately 4-foot-thick shielding walls, enabling remote, non-destructive, and high-precision examination of highly irradiated fuel and material samples while reducing worker radiation exposure.

2026-08-13

Study Reveals Three-Dimensional Pore Networks Inside Uranium-Zirconium Metallic Nuclear Fuel

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), conducted three-dimensional imaging studies on irradiated uranium-10 zirconium metallic fuel, revealing the internal pore networks within the fuel and their relationship with chemical changes and fuel-cladding interactions. The researchers believe these results will help improve metallic fuel performance models, providing references for extending the operating cycles of certain reactors and for the design of next-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor fuel systems. Uranium-10 zirconium (U-10Zr) is a uranium-zirconium alloy metallic fuel containing 10% zirconium, which has been extensively tested in sodium-cooled fast reactors such as Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). As advanced reactor research and development progresses, this type of metallic fuel has regained attention, but the details of pore formation, swelling, heat transfer, and interactions with cladding materials under reactor irradiation conditions still require further clarification.

2026-08-13

HD Hyundai Chairman to Meet Bill Gates to Advance SMR Cooperation

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun will meet Bill Gates, who is visiting South Korea, on August 14, with the two sides planning discussions on cooperation in small modular reactors (SMRs). Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, also serves as chairman of TerraPower, a U.S. small modular reactor company. This will be the latest round of communication between Chung and Gates on related cooperation, following their meeting earlier this year at the Davos Forum in Switzerland. HD Hyundai and TerraPower have been steadily strengthening cooperation in SMR and advanced reactor manufacturing in recent years. In November 2022, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering invested $30 million in TerraPower. In December 2024, HD Hyundai secured an order to manufacture the reactor vessel for TerraPower's 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) to be built in Wyoming, U.S.

2026-08-13

Astrotech Plans Commercial Lunar Power Facility, Evaluating Nuclear Fission Power Supplement Options

Astrotech Corporation announced on August 11 that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lunar Power & Light (LP&L), plans to develop a commercial power generation, storage, and distribution network in high-illumination regions near the lunar poles to provide lunar power services for future government and commercial customers. The company also stated that the plan remains in its early stages, with further progress contingent on technology validation, financing, customer commitments, launch conditions, and relevant government authorizations. According to LP&L's vision, the proposed power grid would consist of distributed elevated solar towers, sun-tracking systems, utility-scale and local battery storage, autonomous control...

2026-08-12

Fuse Energy Technologies Corp. Reports FAETON-X Single-Shot D-D Fusion Neutron Yield of 1.27×10¹²

Fuse Energy Technologies Corp., headquartered in California, USA, announced on August 11 that its megajoule-class dense plasma focus device FAETON-X measured a peak neutron yield of (1.27±0.27)×10¹² neutrons per shot in a single D-D fusion experiment. The company stated that this is one of the highest single-shot fusion neutron yields publicly recorded by a commercial fusion enterprise, and the first to reach the 10¹² order of magnitude. FAETON-X is a megajoule-class pulsed-power fusion system developed by Fuse, designed as a single-pulse flash neutron source, serving pulsed-power fusion R&D and...

2026-08-12

TRISO-X and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extend Advanced Nuclear Fuel R&D Collaboration

TRISO-X announced on August 11 that it has extended its Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The newly signed agreement has a term of 30 months and will continue to advance commercial-scale development of TRISO fuel, manufacturing process optimization, and technology transfer, building on the collaboration established since 2016. TRISO-X is a wholly-owned subsidiary of X-energy, primarily engaged in advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing. Under the agreement, TRISO-X will continue to operate its existing pilot-scale facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with a focus on transitioning TRISO fuel from laboratory R&D to commercial-scale manufacturing. The collaboration includes optimizing fuel...

2026-08-12

California Governor Says He Will Not Push for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Life Extension During His Term

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he will not push to extend the operating life of the state's only commercial nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, during his final months in office. This means the plant's fate after 2030 will be left at least to the next state administration to decide. Located in San Luis Obispo County, California, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant has two units and is owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Under an arrangement PG&E reached in 2016, the two units were originally scheduled for phased retirement. However, after California's high temperatures in 2022 triggered power supply strain and blackouts...

2026-08-12

U.S. Moves to Relax Oversight of Small Maritime Nuclear Reactors, Promoting Civilian Floating Nuclear Energy Applications

The U.S. government is pushing to remove or simplify regulatory barriers to deploying civilian nuclear reactors on floating platforms and vessels, aiming to pave the way for small modular reactors to enter maritime shipping and offshore energy applications. The relevant topics will be highlighted during the International Atomic Energy Agency's ATLAS initiative event from August 26 to 27, with the U.S. also planning to showcase reactor technologies suitable for waterborne operations. The day prior, the U.S. will host an industry day, inviting nuclear and maritime sector companies to present their solutions. This move reflects the strategic importance the U.S. energy sector places on small modular reactors. Compared to traditional large-scale nuclear power plants, small modular reactors emphasize high energy density,...

2026-08-12