TRISO-X Expands Oak Ridge Nuclear Fuel Campus with Approximately 70 Additional Acres

TRISO-X, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Energy, Inc., announced on August 4 that it has acquired approximately 70 acres of land near its commercial nuclear fuel campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to support the continued construction and long-term expansion of its fuel manufacturing facility. Following the acquisition, TRISO-X's total campus footprint in the area has expanded to approximately 180 acres. The land acquisition was announced at a meeting of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board. The newly acquired land comprises two separate parcels and will provide additional space for utility access, equipment staging, fuel storage, and future...

2026-08-05

Colorado State University produces first ultracold neutral plasma with electron temperature below 1 kelvin

Researchers at Colorado State University have, for the first time, produced an ultracold neutral plasma by combining laser cooling techniques with strong magnetic fields. Measurements show that the electron temperature in this plasma is less than 1 kelvin above absolute zero, making it one of the lowest electron temperatures ever measured in a plasma. The research was published in Physics of Plasmas. The new method proposed in the paper helps test plasma theories under more controllable experimental conditions and improve computational models of plasma behavior in extreme environments. The researchers believe this achievement could contribute to future fusion energy...

2026-08-05

U.S. NRC Approves Four SMR-300 Reactors at Oyster Creek Site in New Jersey

A retired nuclear power plant in New Jersey is getting a new lease on life with the construction of small modular reactors. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved the construction of four advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) at the site of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in New Jersey. The plant is currently in decommissioning, with more than half of the dismantling work completed. The Oyster Creek Generating Station, which began construction in December 1969 and operated for nearly 49 years until its closure in September 2018, was once the longest-operating commercial nuclear power plant in the United States. It produced over 192 terawatt-hours of carbon-free electricity in total. Supported by New Jersey's pro-nuclear legislation and stable local backing, Holtec plans to build...

2026-08-05

U.S. and Paraguay Sign Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano signed a strategic civil nuclear energy cooperation memorandum of understanding in Washington on August 4. According to relevant information, the two sides signed what is commonly referred to as the "123 Agreement," which establishes the basic framework for bilateral cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy. The 123 Agreement originates from Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, passed in 1954. This provision authorizes the United States to transfer civil nuclear technology for energy or scientific purposes to partner countries under specific conditions. As a prerequisite, the recipient country must comply with International Atomic Energy...

2026-08-05

NRC Preliminary Assessment Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts from Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant Restart

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a draft environmental assessment for the restart of the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant, preliminarily concluding that the project would not result in significant environmental impacts. NextEra Energy plans to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Palo, Iowa, as early as 2029, and has made significant progress. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Advantage Financing participated as a cooperating agency in drafting the environmental assessment, as the department is considering providing financial support for the restart project. According to a notice in the Federal Register, NRC staff evaluated the potential impacts of restarting the 615-megawatt Duane Arnold nuclear power plant on land use, meteorology, air quality and...

2026-08-05

Arkansas Advances New Nuclear Power Plant Project, Hyundai Motor Supports SMR Construction

Entergy, Holtec International, and Hyundai Motor Group signed an agreement on August 4, 2026, to jointly advance a nuclear power generation project in White County, Arkansas. The project will utilize Holtec's technology for the design, manufacturing, and maintenance of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), while Hyundai Motor will be responsible for providing key equipment and technical support for the plant. This collaboration involves the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Arkansas, which is expected to provide reliable and clean electricity to the local area. Entergy will serve as the operator of the project, responsible for the safe operation and management of the nuclear power plant, and will also work closely with H...

2026-08-05

Amazon Withdraws Data Center Plans Near Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

Amazon has withdrawn its plans to build data centers near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland. The decision comes after some local residents expressed concerns about the proposal, citing potential environmental and health impacts. Nevertheless, supporters argued that the move would bring new tax revenue to the region. Amazon had originally planned to establish seven facilities across three campuses on 2,000 acres of land near the nuclear plant. Calvert County Commission officials stated they would hold a public hearing on August 18 to consider a six-month temporary moratorium on any data center development projects. The proposed ordinance would establish a temporary pause...

2026-08-05

Oklahoma Strives to Build the Nation's First Nuclear Energy Innovation Hub

Oklahoma is actively competing to become the first nuclear energy innovation hub in the United States, having submitted a detailed 31-page proposal. The plan aims to cover the entire nuclear fuel lifecycle management, encompassing fuel fabrication, advanced reactor construction, spent fuel recycling, and permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Oklahoma's goal is to establish the first permanent waste disposal solution in the U.S., achieving this before commercial nuclear power deployment. In the proposal, deep borehole drilling for radioactive waste disposal emerges as a key component. This method involves drilling thousands of feet deep and placing radioactive waste sealed in specially designed containers into the subsurface, followed by sealing the borehole.

2026-08-05

Aternium to Build First U.S. Heavy Water and High-Purity Hydrogen Production Facility in Delaware

Aternium announced on August 4 that it has selected Dover, Delaware, as the site for its first commercial heavy water and electrolytic hydrogen production facility. The company has reached a definitive sales agreement for a parcel within Garrison Oak Technical Park, with the transaction expected to close by mid-Q4 2026. The project will serve as Aternium's flagship production initiative in the United States, planned to produce heavy water (deuterium oxide) and high-purity hydrogen. According to company disclosures, the project is expected to bring at least $226 million in capital investment to Dover, create dozens of direct and supporting jobs, and generate hundreds of construction jobs during the build-out phase...

2026-08-05

Westinghouse and Amentum Expand Cooperation to Support Scaled Deployment of APX Technology Platform

Westinghouse Electric Company announced on August 4 that it has reached a series of agreements with Amentum to expand cooperation around Westinghouse's APX technology platform, enhance the scaled deployment capability of AP1000 reactors, and advance the development and licensing of the AP300 Small Modular Reactor (SMR). Under the agreements, the two companies will collaborate to advance AP300 SMR regulatory approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Westinghouse stated that obtaining regulatory approval is a critical step for AP300's market entry, and Amentum's engineering capabilities and nuclear project experience will support these efforts. Westinghouse Electric...

2026-08-05

US BWXT in Discussions with Naval Reactors on Proposed Nuclear-Powered Warship Reactor Design

BWX Technologies is in preliminary discussions with the U.S. Naval Reactors program regarding a proposed nuclear-powered warship. According to company CEO Rex Geveden during the Q2 2026 earnings call, the project could begin long-lead procurement as early as 2028 if approved and funded by the U.S. Congress. Image credit: U.S. Navy. Geveden stated that the design could leverage the existing reactor design used in Ford-class aircraft carriers. Each Ford-class carrier is equipped with two large reactors, while the proposed warship could use one reactor of the same type. Given BWXT's existing naval propulsion systems business, this approach aligns directly with the company's current manufacturing capabilities...

2026-08-05

Nuvora Completes Independent Review of Pre-Feasibility Study for 300 MWth High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Hydrogen Production

Nuvora Energy, Inc., a U.S. developer of advanced modular nuclear energy and clean hydrogen infrastructure, announced on August 3 that it has completed a pre-feasibility study for the integration of a 300 MWth prismatic high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with a solid oxide electrolyzer cell hydrogen island, along with an independent third-party review conducted by DBD International. The pre-feasibility study report, titled "Pre-Feasibility Study for Integrated Power Generation and Hydrogen Production Using a 300 MWth High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor," was released in May 2026, with revision number R01. DBD International was commissioned to conduct an independent review of the study and issued its review report, revision B, on May 20, 2026...

2026-08-05

Holtec, Entergy, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Partner to Evaluate SMR-300 Deployment Opportunities in the Southern United States

On August 4, local time, Holtec International, Entergy Services, LLC, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. (HDEC) announced a strategic collaboration to jointly evaluate potential opportunities for deploying Holtec's SMR-300 advanced small modular reactor within Entergy's service territory to power large-load customers. The collaboration is established through a non-binding memorandum of agreement. Under the arrangement, the three parties will conduct assessments around a potential two-unit SMR-300 project, focusing on customer demand,...

2026-08-05

GAO Report Urges DOE-EM to Learn from Canada, UK, France, and Belgium in Reshaping Nuclear Waste Cleanup Strategy

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted in a new report that countries such as Canada, France, and the United Kingdom have taken proactive measures in recent years to accelerate nuclear waste cleanup. The report recommends that the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) engage in strategic exchanges with these countries to identify and evaluate alternative approaches that could reduce risks, lower costs, or expedite cleanup activities. Currently, DOE-EM estimates its cleanup mission could cost between $641 billion and $840 billion and may not be completed until 2100. The report found that while DOE-EM has some level of exchange with other countries on nuclear cleanup, such exchanges are not strategic and lack proactive learning...

2026-08-04

Study Shows Sustained Deuterium Fusion in Palladium and Titanium Metal Foils at Ultra-Low Energies

U.S. researchers have observed a low-energy deuterium fusion phenomenon in thin palladium and titanium metal foils: when the incident deuteron energy drops to levels where fusion reactions are generally expected to weaken significantly or even nearly cease, the reactions continue to occur. Experiments show that as incident energy decreases, the fusion rate does not continue to decline exponentially but instead enters a plateau region below approximately 2 keV. At the lowest detectable energy, the measured low-energy fusion rate exceeds predictions from isolated-nucleus models by more than 10^18 times. Image courtesy of Marina Light/University of California, Davis. The related research was conducted by teams at the University of California, Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory...

2026-08-04

X-energy and SGL Carbon to Expand Nuclear-Grade Graphite Production Capacity

X-Energy and SGL Carbon announced on August 3 that they have signed a binding agreement to expand production capacity for NBG-18 medium-grained isotropic nuclear-grade graphite. NBG-18 is a critical specialty material for X-Energy's Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, supporting the company's subsequent commercial project deployments. Under the agreement, X-Energy will invest up to $8 million in phases to support the construction of new facilities and equipment upgrades at SGL Carbon's plant in Chedde, France. Upon completion of the expansion, the plant will be capable of producing graphite billets annually sufficient for up to eight Xe-100 reactors. SGL Carbon has also agreed to expand its graphite billet processing capacity in the United States to enhance the stability of this safety-critical material supply chain.

2026-08-04

CCTE Signs Supply Agreement with BWXT Canada to Advance Commercial Demonstration of ANEEL Fuel

U.S. nuclear fuel company Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) announced on August 3 that it has signed a fuel manufacturing supply agreement with BWXT Canada Ltd. to further refine manufacturing conditions for the commercial demonstration of its ANEEL nuclear fuel platform. Under the agreement, BWXT Canada will provide qualified fuel assembly hardware for integration with ANEEL fuel pellets, and assemble them into complete, reactor-representative full-scale demonstration fuel assemblies at the Chalk River Laboratories under Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). CCTE is responsible for providing ANEEL fuel...

2026-08-04

Dominion Energy Renews Early Site Permit for North Anna Nuclear Plant

Dominion Energy Virginia is taking steps to renew the early site permit for its North Anna nuclear power plant, originally issued in 2007. Located in Louisa County, the North Anna plant currently operates two reactors. The company submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on July 14, seeking to extend the early site permit for a period of 20 years, or 20 years from the date of issuance, whichever is later. The NRC has formally acknowledged receipt of the request and is reviewing it for docketing acceptance. An early site permit is an optional process through which the NRC can confirm whether a site is suitable for a new nuclear power plant; obtaining such a permit can reduce risks of delays during the licensing and construction process...

2026-08-04

Valar Atomics Completes $1 Billion Equity Financing, Sequoia Capital Partner Joins Board

Nuclear energy startup Valar Atomics confirmed on August 3 that it has completed a $1 billion equity financing round led by Sequoia Capital. Company founder and CEO Isaiah Taylor stated that Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire has joined the company's board of directors. In addition to the equity financing, Valar Atomics also secured a $200 million credit facility from Erebor and other banks. Valar Atomics did not disclose its post-financing valuation. Reports indicate the company is valued at approximately $6 billion. Valar Atomics primarily...

2026-08-04

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Proposed Rule to Update Radioactive Material Transport Regulations for New Reactor Technologies

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a proposed rule aimed at updating regulations for the transport of radioactive material to accommodate the development of new reactor technologies. The existing regulatory framework has not fully kept pace with advances in nuclear technology, particularly as microreactors and other advanced reactor types present new challenges to current rules. Approximately three million packages containing radioactive material are transported across the United States each year, and this vast logistics operation has been managed by federal agencies for decades. The NRC's proposed rule addresses a specific issue: how to safely transport new types of nuclear reactors and their associated radioactive materials. Microreactors are compact, factory-manufactured...

2026-08-03

Dutch ULC-Energy and US McDermott sign cooperation agreement to advance Rolls-Royce SMR deployment in the Netherlands

Dutch nuclear development company ULC-Energy and US engineering and construction firm McDermott announced on August 2 the signing of a cooperation agreement to support the project development of Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors (SMR) in the Netherlands. The cooperation includes integrating SMR energy supply solutions with energy-intensive industrial processes, leveraging McDermott's experience in energy transition and industrial decarbonization (low-carbon hydrogen, ammonia, sustainable aviation fuel, carbon capture and utilization), combined with ULC-Energy's nuclear project development capabilities. The two parties previously collaborated in 2023 to study industrial hydrogen production using "Rolls-Royce SMR + solid oxide electrolyzer," with ULC coordinating and McDermott providing engineering design and cost information for thermal integration/plant layout systems. McDermott's Senior Vice President of Low Carbon Solutions, Rob Shaul, stated that the agreement consolidates the existing relationship and reflects a shared commitment to advancing low-carbon energy in the Netherlands; the company has a long-standing presence in the country with its Hague center supporting projects across Europe. ULC-Energy CEO Dirk Rabelink noted that nuclear energy is effective when integrated into the energy system, and that SMRs flexibly supply electricity, heat, and hydrogen, with earlier cooperation having demonstrated this pathway, expressing hope to expand to other applications.

2026-08-03