Neutron Bytes

• Trump administration secretly made sweeping changes to nuclear safety rules : National Public Radio

The Trump administration has overhauled a set of nuclear safety directives and shared them with the companies it is charged with regulating, without making the new rules available to the public, according to documents obtained and reported exclusively by NPR reporter Geoff Brumfiel. The NPR report aired on 01/28/2026.

According to the NPR report, the sweeping changes were made in secret to accelerate the development of a new generation of nuclear reactor designs. They occurred over the fall and winter at the Department of Energy, which is currently overseeing a program to build at least three new experimental commercial nuclear reactors by July 4th of this year.

According to the DOE documents, the Trump administration has secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules to accelerate the development of a new generation of reactors. The overhaul centers on the DOE Reactor Pilot Program, which aims to have at least three experimental reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.

Note to Readers The NPR article is quite long and the web page version is interrupted frequently by large graphics and advertising. Frankly, it is a problem to get through some of the digital clutter. This blog post is a summary of the excellent NPR article. This summary is in brieifng form based on the use of Google Gemini Pro to condense the content for a quicker read.

Key Regulatory Changes

NPR’s key finding is that the administration has overhauled departmental “orders,” which govern reactor operations but do not require the public notice and comment periods mandated for federal regulations. NPR’s analysis shows a reduction of over 750 pages across more than a dozen orders, leaving only about one-third of the original material.

Removal of ALARA Standard: The “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” principle, a decades-old standard for minimizing radiation exposure, has been eliminated from the new orders. This change may allow for less concrete shielding and longer worker shifts.

Security Reductions: Seven security directives totaling over 500 pages were consolidated into a single 23-page order. Removed requirements include detailed firearms training, emergency drills, and limits on security officer work hours.

Engineering Oversight: The requirement for a cognizant system engineer—a designated individual responsible for each critical safety system—has been eliminated.

Environmental Protections: The requirement to use “best available technology” to protect water supplies was removed. Language regarding radioactive discharges into sewers was softened from “prohibited” to “should be avoided”.

Waste Management: A 59-page manual on radioactive waste was replaced by a 25-page order, stripping detailed requirements for waste packaging and monitoring.

Implementation and Governance

NPR reports that DOE is utilizing its authority to self-regulate research reactors, bypassing the independent and more rigorous Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The “Concierge Team”: Each of the 10 private companies involved (including those backed by Amazon, Google, and Meta) has access to a team of senior officials reporting directly to the Secretary of Energy.

Staffing: Approximately 30 DOE experts and 12 experts on loan from the NRC are currently conducting design and safety reviews for 11 reactor designs using these new rules.

Operational Efficiency: The DOE maintains these changes “reduce unnecessary regulations” and “increase innovation” without compromising safety.

Key Technical Implications

Design & Shielding: The removal of ALARA may lead to reactors being built with significantly less concrete shielding to save on construction costs.

Regulatory Conflict: Legal experts suggest that by softening “prohibited” language to “should be avoided,” the DOE may inadvertently lead companies to violate standing federal laws like the Clean Water Act.

Security Risk: Experts like Edwin Lyman told NPR that reducing security to “bullet points” is particularly dangerous for small modular reactors (SMRs) using high assay low enriched fuel (HALEU which are attractive targets for theft.

Lyman clarified in a comment to Neutron Bytes, “Although HALEU is a Category II material, unlike Category I HEU, my own work has indicated that HALEU is a potential direct-use material in sufficient quantity and thus poses greater security risks than its current classification would suggest.”

Erosion of Public Trust: Former NRC Chair Christopher Hanson and other experts argue that changing safety standards in secret undermines the public confidence necessary for nuclear expansion.

Regulatory Ambiguity: Experts warn that removing explicit requirements may actually complicate compliance and lead to inadvertent violations of statutes like the Clean Water Act.

Theft Risk: Critics note that several new designs use higher levels of enriched uranium, making the reduction in physical security requirements particularly concerning.

Who Benefits from These Changes?

NPR notes that 11 companies are relying heavily on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Pilot Program, which bypasses traditional NRC regulatory requirements and timelines to reach criticality by July 4, 2026.

Financial Backing: Amazon and Google are major private investors in the reactor designs undergoing secret safety rule rewrites.

SMR Focus: The tech sector is specifically targeting Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) because they can be mass-produced and placed closer to data center clusters than traditional large-scale plants.

Current Site Progress

Idaho National Laboratory (INL): Several reactors, including those by Oklo and Aalo Atomics, are slated for construction here under the new streamlined DOE orders.

Pike County, Ohio: The site of a former uranium enrichment plant now being repurposed by Oklo to support Meta’s data centers. Meta is investing in 6 GW of nuclear generating capacity to power it AI systems.

Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Kairos Power currently has construction underway on the Hermes 2 reactor foundations. Google has an ageement with Kairos for the firm to build its advanced reactors to power the search engine’s AI programs.

• Table ~ Tech Companies’ Nuclear Reactor Investments

Prior Coverage on this Blog

• DOE Selects 11 Firms for Advanced Reactor Pilot Program

• DOE’s Wishful Thinking About Expedited Testing of Advanced Reactors

# # #

• Germany’s Nuclear Shutdown is Called “a Mistake” by Chancellor Merz
• Bavaria Outlines Plans To Develop Three Nuclear Fusion Projects
• Type One Fusion Power Test Facility Planned at Oak Ridge
• General Fusion Goes Public via SPAC Deal
• Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Joins TerraPower as an Investor
• Terrestrial Energy Signs DOE Agreement For Pilot Facility for IMSR Fuel
• Energy Solutions Plans ESP for Kewaunee, WI, D&D Site
• Rolls-Royce SMR Taps Amentum as EPC
• US And Slovakia Sign Agreement for Large-Scale Nuclear Plant At Bohunice
• Project Phoenix Report Proposes SMR Use in Slovakia
• China to Power Petrochemicals Production with a PWR and an HTGR

Germany’s Nuclear Shutdown is Called “a Mistake” by Chancellor Merz

(NucNet contributed to this report) Chancellor Friedrich Merz last week called Germany’s nuclear power phase-out a “huge strategic mistake,” stating it has led to insufficient energy capacity, inflated costs, and an overly expensive energy transition reliant on subsidies and fossil fuels. His “mea culpa” comes after years of anti-nuclear policy speak driven by the ecological extremism of Germany’s Greens that resulted in the closing all of Germany’s nuclear power plants.

Merz stated the obvious which is an energy policy of relying on solar, wind, and coal and gas fired power plants has turned out to be a disaster for the country. Recognizing the flaws in the anti-nuclear energy policy he contrasted Germany’s path with countries like France that leverage nuclear power for lower emissions. Merz’s comments made at a high profile meeting of the German Chamber of Commerce. His remarks reignited the debate over energy security.

Key Points from Merz’s Statements

• Serious strategic mistake: He described the decision to phase out nuclear energy as a major strategic error.
• Energy Capacity: Germany lacks sufficient domestic energy generation, necessitating government intervention to keep prices down.
• High Costs: The nuclear exit has complicated and significantly increased the cost of Germany’s energy transition, making it the “most expensive in the entire world,” according to Merz.
• Economic Impact: The move has forced greater reliance on fossil fuels like coal and imported gas, increasing emissions and dependence on foreign energy sources.

Germany until March 2011 obtained one-quarter of its electricity from nuclear energy using 17 reactors. In 2011 eight reactors were shut down immediately in response to the Fukushima nuclear accident. and all were scheduled to close by the end of 2023 representing 26 GW of CO2 emission free power generation that were consigned to decommissioning despite having years ahead of potential revenue service.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Germany is one of the biggest importers of gas, coal and oil worldwide, and has few domestic resources apart from lignite and renewables. The preponderance of coal makes the country Europe’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. Facing the prospects of brownouts or blackouts, Germany cut down old growth forests to mine and burn lignite, the dirtiest form of coal for use in power plants.

Merz, who is a lawyer by training with no technical background, made his remarks to the business group using the rhetorical method of a prosecutor delivering closing remarks in a criminal trial seeking a guilty verdict from a jury.

Chancellor Merz said, “The abandonment of nuclear energy was a serious strategic mistake. At least they had left the last nuclear power plants in Germany in operation three years ago, so that we would have the electricity generation capacity that we had at that time.”

“We are now making the most expensive energy transition in the entire world. I don’t know of any other country that is making this transition as difficult and expensive as Germany. We set ourselves a goal that we now have to adjust, but we simply don’t have enough energy generation capacity,” (Graphic: Google Gemini)

While carbon emissions have dropped at least 32% since 2000, Germany “simply doesn’t have enough energy-generation capacity,” Merz said.

Merz, whio has held Germany’s highest political office for less than a year, criticized the previous administration for its highly restrictive energy policies during the widely publicized address. To counter the policies’ dampening effects on energy production, Germany is now “undertaking the most expensive energy transition in the entire world,” Merz said.

In Merz’s speech, he said the heart of the issue is that Germany’s power industry is too heavily reliant on imports from other countries. In 2025, nearly 70% of its energy needs were met through international imports.

The chancellor announced that “power plants are to be built,” and “all the necessary documents have been exchanged” to begin construction on new nuclear power plants, which will likely be put on the old sites.

He did not indicate a timeline for breaking ground for new nuclear fission plants, projected completion dates, the role the private sector would play as investors, nor the scope of government financing, e.g., with cash, loans, and/or rate guarantees.

“I want us to eventually have acceptable market prices for energy production again, and not have to permanently subsidize energy prices from the federal budget. We can’t do this in the long run,” Merz said.

Germany’s Nuclear Turnaround

In September 2025, Merz and France’s president Emmanuel Macron agreed to recognize the role of nuclear power in Europe’s energy transition, potentially ending years of friction between the countries over energy policy, including subsidies for reactors.

Mertz said the German government has already set out a “high tech agenda” explaining how it intends to build a nuclear fusion reactor as part of efforts to become climate neutral by 2045.

Merz is an enthusiastic supporter of fusion research, stressing during the campaign for federal elections last year that Europe must not leave the field to China. His nuclear vision for fusion, which appears to bypass uranium fueled fission reactors, may be a nod to Germany’s staunchly anti-nuclear Greens party.

The German Greens party is not formally part of the current coalition government in Germany but it has enough votes along with other German political parties to have both the ability to support infrastructure spending for things it wants and to also throw monkey wrenches into energy policies that it opposes.

~ Also contributing to this report; Gene Nelson, Ph.D., GreenNuke on Substack

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Bavaria Outlines Plans To Develop Three Nuclear Fusion Projects

• First commercial reactor could be deployed at Gundremmingen site

(NucNet contributed to this report) Germany has shut down its commercial nuclear power plants, but chancellor Friedrich Merz is an enthusiastic supporter of fusion research and has said the country should host the world’s first fusion reactor to be connected to the energy grid. In 2025 the German federal German government set out a $ $2 billion “high tech agenda” that lays out how it intends to build a nuclear fusion reactor as part of efforts to become climate neutral by 2045.

The state of Bavaria in southeast Germany has announced plans to develop three fusion projects spanning both demonstration and commercial-scale machines. The proposed rollout includes three distinct reactor projects, each with a unique focus and location.

Garching: A magnet-based fusion demonstration device is planned at Garching near Munich under the Alpha project, led by Proxima Fusion, targets achieving net-positive energy output. The firm is committed to the stellarator design for its path to commercialization of fusion energy.

Gundremmingen: The site of a former commercial nuclear power station has been selected for Bavaria’s first commercial-scale fusion reactor plant, known as ‘Stellaris’. The project is also led by Proxima Fusion, backed by private investment and expected to operate within around 15 years. In September 2025 the firm extended its Series A funding with increases that took total funding to $230 million.

Southern Bavaria: Preliminary plans are in place for a commercial reactor using laser-based fusion technology. Details of this facility are still under discussion, but officials have indicated it could help diversify technology approaches. The contractor for the site was not named in the press statement. The state said it is working closely with federal authorities and aims to reuse existing grid and nuclear infrastructure.

According to a report in Nuclear Engineering International, Marvel Fusion, a Munich-based startup is one of two fusion developers in Germany working on laser fusion technology; and Focused Energy, a German-US startup planning a pilot plant at the former Gundremmingen NPP site in the Günzburg district of Bavaria by 2035.

Proxima Profiled

Proxima was founded in April 2023 as a spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany. The company recently revealed a concept design for “Stellaris.”

Stellaris will use high-temperature superconducting magnets in a stellarator. A stellarator is a doughnut-shaped ring of precisely positioned magnets that can contain the plasma from which fusion energy is born.

In September 2025 Proxima Fusion announced an extension to its Series A round with new funding of €15 million Series A extension which brought the company’s total funding to €200 million ($230M).

Proxima’s Alpha, its demonstration stellarator, is scheduled to begin operations in 2031 and is a critical step to demonstrating net energy gain and moving towards a first-of-a-kind fusion power plant.

Regarding Poxima’s key role in German fusion projects, UK-based fusion energy analyst Buddy Alcock said the plans signal strong public-private collaboration in Bavaria, as the state incorporates existing regional progress within its plans for a diverse fusion landscape.

“This is a forward-thinking move,” Alcock said. “We are going to need more than one fusion power plant, and Bavaria is deciding early to build plans for that reality. It’s also positive to see support for a diverse range of fusion concepts.”

Marvel Fusion Profiled

Marvel Fusion is currently in the process of building two laser prototypes – it is building a $50 million facility with Colorado State University – and says it is “actively forging industrial partnerships for the ramp-up of laser production, which can meet the high-gain requirement needed to offer sufficient energy at competitive prices.”

Separately, the company said it was”progressing its industrial partnership with Siemens Energy by jointly developing a conceptual design of a fully integrated fusion power plant to be built in Germany.

In March 2025 Marvel Fusion announced the extension of its Series B funding round by EUR50 million (USD54 million) to EUR113 million, with funding from EQT Ventures, Siemens Energy and European Innovation Council Fund. Marvel Fusion says that brings total funding to EUR385 million ($455 million), including EUR170 million from private investment, including existing investors Tengelmann Ventures and Bayern Kapital.

Focused Energy Profiled

Focused Energy uses laser pulses to rapidly heat and compress a polymer-encased fuel pellet made of deuterium and tritium. The firm has locations in Redwood City, CA and Germany. It is a spinout of Austin, Texas-based laser developer National Energetics and the Technische Universität Darmstadt.

According to the 2025 Annual Industry Report of the Fusion Industry Association, key milestones include Target R&D Facility (existing in Darmstadt, Germany), Laser R&D Facility (2026), Neutron-XRay Imaging Commercial Prototype Facility (2026),Implosion Test Facility (MVP Fusion) (2029).

In March 2025 Marvel Fusion announced the extension of its Series B funding round by EUR50 million (USD54 million) to EUR113 million, with funding from EQT Ventures, Siemens Energy and European Innovation Council Fund. Marvel Fusion says that brings total funding to EUR385 million ($455 million), including EUR170 million from private investment, including existing investors Tengelmann Ventures and Bayern Kapital.

Also, in March 2025 Focused Energy said on it has signed an agreement with RWE and the German state of Hesse to build a fusion power plant at a site of a shut down nuclear power station and to complete it by 2035.

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Type One Fusion Power Test Facility Planned at Oak Ridge

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Type One Energy are partnering to establish a fusion test facility to advance fusion energy.

The high-heat flux facility, located at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Energy Complex in Clinton, TN, will evaluate how materials react under extreme conditions in a fusion device. The High Heat Flux (HHF) facility will accelerate the development of plasma-facing components, which must withstand harsh conditions during the fusion process. The results will enable both private and public entities to qualify and validate the materials used in fusion pilot plant designs.

The facility will be only the second of its kind in the United States, capable of replicating the high-heat flux present in fusion devices. It will be the only domestic facility to include pressurized helium gas cooling, the coolant of choice for many U.S.-based fusion reactor concepts.

The project will use investments from DOE’s Fusion Energy Sciences program within the Office of Science. Type One Energy and the State of Tennessee to build the facility.

The facility will leverage the significant investments already made in fusion materials and technology in East Tennessee, including UT’s advanced work in fusion materials design and ORNL’s fusion materials development program, materials characterization capabilities and Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.

The Clinton site will function as a fusion development campus for ORNL, Type One Energy, UT and TVA, and will complement the ongoing research collaborations between the institutions, cementing East Tennessee as a regional hub of fusion research and a future manufacturing center for PFCs and other advanced components for fusion plants.

In September 2025 Type One and TVA announced a letter of intent for the firm build a 350 MW fusion power plant at the TVA Bull Run site. A mid-20230 date is targeted for completion. Type One is developing a Stellarator fusion machine.

Testing Materials at Temperatures Hotter than the Sun

The facility fulfills a need identified in DOE’s Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap to deliver domestic HHF capabilities to advance the understanding of materials and lifetime limits in containing plasma hotter than the sun. It complements ORNL’s Materials Plasma Exposure Experiment, currently under construction, which will answer key questions about plasma-material interactions and help develop robust materials to be used in fusion power plants.

The collaborative team is targeting a steady-state heat load of more than 10 megawatts per square meter on the subcomponent surface — similar to the heat flux inside some rocket engines — using electron beam technology. The high-heat flux facility will also be novel for its inclusion of pressurized helium gas cooling, which is a leading candidate coolant for fusion devices due to its high maximum operating temperature, stability in prototypical fusion conditions and chemical inertness with blanket components.

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General Fusion Goes Public via SPAC Deal

General Fusion will become a publicly traded fusion company through business combination With Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. III. The special acqusition company deal is being funded by a $230 million IPO Spring Valley released last September. General Fusion intends to use proceeds from this transaction to fund the LM26 program, a 50% size prototype fusion machine.

The transaction with Spring Valley implies General Fusion’s enterprise value is approximately $724 million in equity value inclusive of approximately $105 million from a committed and oversubscribed PIPE (Private Investment in Public Equity) with leading institutional investors and the $230 million of Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. III’s trust capital.

Prior to this transaction, General Fusion has raised more than $400 million in capital since its inception from leading institutional investors, strategics, venture capital firms, industry partners, and through government grants.

Upon closing, the proposed business combination is expected to result in General Fusion listing on the Nasdaq and trading under the ticker symbol GFUZ.

About General Fusion’s Magnetized Target Fusion Technology

General Fusion is developing a patented and proprietary Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology designed to scale for cost-efficient power plants within the next decade.

Key benefits of MTF technology include

• Durable fusion machine: When fusion occurs, the reaction is surrounded by a liquid metal wall which shields the vessel from neutron activation. This protects the machine from fusion damage. (Image: General Fusion)

• 

  Abundant fuel: When neutrons are absorbed in the liquid lithium wall, they can create tritium fuel at a ratio greater than 1.5, sufficient fusion fuel to support operations for the life of the power plant.
  
• Simple energy conversion: The liquid metal wall absorbs neutrons and heat from fusion, and then the hot liquid metal is pumped through a heat exchanger to create steam and spin a traditional steam turbine.
  
• Economical fusion power using existing materials: No need for expensive magnets, targets, or lasers, and no frequent replacements of neutron-damaged components.

About General Fusion as a Company

Founded in 2002, General Fusion has raised $400 million since its inception. According to Canadian wire service reports it raised $66 million last year and its team of about 115 people used it to build LM26, a 50% commercial-scale nuclear fusion machine. However, the firm laid off an unspecified numbers of staff in 2025 during a funding crunch. Media reports at the time estimated 25% of the head count was let go.

Two decades of R&D and scientific milestones underpin the company’s MTF approach. It claims it is one of only four private companies worldwide to have achieved and published meaningful peer-reviewed fusion results, with 210 patents issued and additional pending applications,

Lawson Machine 26 (LM26), the company’s world-first large-scale MTF fusion demonstration machine, is operating, mechanically compressing plasma with a lithium liner at 50% of commercial-scale diameter.

Challenges Ahead for Development of a First of a Kind Plant

General Fusion chief strategy officer Megan Wilson said in a statement to Canadian news media, “there are four basic challenges to achieving nuclear fusion: material degradation, fuel sourcing, energy capture and high costs.

More specifically, she said the process can destroy the machines used to create it, one of the fuels needed doesn’t exist and has to be created in the fusion process, there’s no easy way to capture the energy created, and it is extremely expensive.”

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Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Joins TerraPower as an Investor

TerraPower announced that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has joined SK as part of the company’s visionary investor base, marking KHNP’s first investment into an advanced nuclear company.

KHNP joins TerraPower’s current investors in supporting the first Natrium plant being built in Wyoming, along with the company’s plans to rapidly deploy additional units in the U.S. and abroad. This investment will accelerate ongoing efforts by KHNP to explore both South Korean and other opportunities in addition to its interest in TerraPower.

According to a 01/21/26 report in Business Korea, SK Innovation will transfer a portion of its shareholdings in U.S. next-generation small modular reactor (SMR) developer TerraPower to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) and launch full-scale cooperation among the three companies. This is a strategic measure to accelerate the targeting of the global SMR market.

KHNP’s investment will be through SK’s previously announced $250 million investment into TerraPower. KHNP and TerraPower successfully completed the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) review process in December 2025. The three companies have been working together since 2023 under a strategic collaboration agreement.

SK Innovation and SK invested in TerraPower in August 2022 to acquire second-largest shareholder status, and will maintain their second-largest shareholder position even after this partial share sale. TerraPower did not respond to a media inquiry from Neutron Bytes on whether any cash was received by the company as a result of this transaction between SK and KHNP.

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Terrestrial Energy Signs DOE Agreement For Pilot Facility for IMSR Fuel

(NucNet) Terrestrial Energy, a US developer of small modular nuclear power plants using its Generation IV Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology, has signed an agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) for Project Tefla, a pilot production facility that will demonstrate IMSR fuel salt production which is being developed under the DOE’s Advanced Reactor Pilot Program.

Project Tefla will support Charlotte, NC,-based Terrestrial Energy’s commercial IMSR plant development and future deployments by demonstrating the company’s proprietary IMSR fuel salt production technology. Tefla will produce IMSR fuel at pilot plant scale, synthesizing the fuel to precise reactor requirements using readily available standard-assay low-enriched uranium enriched to less than 5% U235 as feedstock. Fuel produced under the project will support the company’s Project Tetra test reactor project.

A Streamlined Pathway To Authorization

The Advanced Reactor Pilot Program enables the DOE to authorize privately built reactors outside its national laboratories. The program provides a streamlined pathway to regulatory authorization for operation, bridging the gap between pilot reactor operations for system testing, and licensing for commercial plant operation.

Terrestrial Energy said the agreement with the DOE marks an important milestone in its engagement with the DOE Fuel Line Pilot Program, which seeks to address the nation’s shortage of domestic nuclear fuel resources by developing or building fuel production lines to increase production capacity.

IMSR plants produce thermal energy for industrial use or for generating electricity or both. They can load-follow, making them a perfect carbon-free electric grid partner for variable renewable power generation. The industrial heat they produce can be used in industries such as manufacturing, oil, steel and chemicals.

They use a liquid molten fluoride salt as both fuel and primary coolant and are said to have advantages over more traditional water-cooled plants, including improved safety and higher efficiency. Inherent safety features include low-pressure operation, reduced waste and the use of standard low-enriched uranium fuel.

In November, Terrestrial Energy signed a manufacturing and supply contract with Springfields Fuels Limited, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, for the design and construction of an IMSR fuel pilot plant in the UK. The Springfields agreement encompasses deconversion, fabrication, packaging, and transportation services for Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) fuel production, paving the way for pilot plant construction

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Energy Solutions Plans ESP for Kewaunee, WI, D&D Site

• Site could host one or more SMRs built by Terrestrial Energy

(WNN) Energy Solutions, which has been decommissioning a 566 MW PWR at Kewaunee, WI, said it plans to begin initial planning and scoping activities to support the pursuit of an early site permit (ESP) from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at the Kewaunee site. The site is located on the eastern shore of Wisconsin about 30 miles east of Green Bay, WI.

EnergySolutions said in a press statement it will execute a structured, multi-year, multi-phase approach. It includes initial planning and scoping activities, conducting in-depth studies related to the Kewaunee Power Station site and environmental considerations, and ultimately an NRC license for a new reactor.

An ESP certifies that a site is suitable for the construction of a nuclear power plant from the point of view of site safety, environmental impact and emergency planning, but does not specify the choice of technology. The permit is valid for 10 to 20 years, renewable for an additional 10 to 20 years. While the ESP is intended by the NRC, and the applicant, Energy Soulutions appears to have developed plans for the site that involve small modular reactors.

EnergySolutions said it is working with Milwaukee-based WEC Energy Group – the parent company of We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service – to explore new nuclear generation in Wisconsin.

MOU with Terrestrial Energy

In December 2025, EnergySolutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Terrestrial Energy to collaborate on the siting and deployment of Terrestrial’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) plants at sites owned by EnergySolutions.

The IMSR is a GEN IV reactor that uses molten salt as both fuel and coolant, with integrated components, which can supply heat directly to industrial facilities or use it to generate electrical power. It does this using conventional nuclear reactor fuel.e.g, low-enriched uranium. The plants’ thermal and electric power supply systems can be customized to meet specific site demand requirements, and can support distributed generation for energy-intensive industry.

According to World Nuclear News, earlier this year, Terrestrial signed an agreement with Schneider Electric to collaborate on developing zero-carbon energy solutions for industrial facilities and large data centres based on the IMSR. More recently, it signed a memorandum of understanding with UK-based oil and gas company Viaro Energy to collaborate on the deployment of IMSR plant technology for a broad range of potential industrial applications, including powering data centres for AI.

Salt Lake City-based EnergySolutions is known as a supplier of nuclear decommissioning and decontamination, waste processing and disposal services, and operates two licensed disposal sites, in Clive, Utah, and Barnwell County, SC. In June 2023, alongside an announcement of additional capabilities in support of the life extension of existing US nuclear power plants, the construction of new reactors, the company also said it was in the early phases of exploring the use of EnergySolutions-owned former nuclear sites as potential locations for future nuclear power plants.

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Rolls-Royce SMR Taps Amentum as EPC

UK based Rolls-Royce SMR has selected Amentum (NYSE: AMTM) as its program delivery partner, which is a pivotal role in enabling the successful delivery of the first Rolls-Royce 470 MW PWR type reactors in the UK and in possibly in two other EU countries.

Amentum, a Virginia, US-based engineering and technology company, will work on a number of areas including the construction management program for the deployment of Europe’s first SMRs.

Amentum was part of a consortium of supply chain companies that began working with Rolls-Royce in 2016 to develop the 470 MWE mid-range PWR to meet the growing need for nuclear generated electricity. Amentum is supported in this role by supply chain partners Turner & Townsend, Hochtief, Mace Consult and Unipart.

Rolls-Royce noted in its press statement that it has multiple commitments to build its 470 MW PWR for customers. Rolls-Royce SMR said the partnership with Amentum will enable the successful delivery of these contracts.

• It is the preferred bidder by Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to build three units at the Wylfa site in the UK. In the UK, Rolls-Royce SMR will deliver up to 1.5GW of power on the grid. The site previously was slated for twin 1,350 MW Hitachi ABWRs but the firm pulled out of the project over unresolved disputes with the UK government over financing and schedules.
• The Czech state-owned utility CEZ has an agreement with Rolls-Royce to build up to3 GW of new nuclear power in the Czech Republic or potentially up to six of the light water design reactors. The SMRs will be built at CEZ’s Temelin site. The agreement is enabled by CEZ taking a 20% equity stake in Rolls-Royce.
• In Sweden Rolls-Royce is in a long running bake off with GE Vernova via the Swedish utility Vattenfall. A decision has been pending since August 2025. A November update by Vattenfall named a consortium of new investors in SMRs with Vantenfalll, but did not it sign off on a final investment decision with either reactor vendor.

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US And Slovakia Sign Agreement for On Large-Scale Nuclear Plant At Bohunice

• Planned reactor will support European country’s transition away from reliance on Russian-designed units

(NucNet) US Department of Energy (DOE) secretary Chris Wright and Slovak prime minister Robert Fico have signed an intergovernmental agreement to cooperate on Slovakia’s civil nuclear power program, including the development of a US-supplied large-scale nuclear unit at the Bohunice nuclear power station. The nuclear power station is located about 50 miles northeast of Bratislava.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) said the agreement, signed on 01/16/26, supports Slovakia’s efforts to diversify its energy supply, strengthen long-term energy security, and integrate advanced nuclear technology into Central Europe’s energy infrastructure.

Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest.

The planned nuclear unit – likely to be a Westinghouse AP1000 – represents a multibillion-dollar energy infrastructure investment and one of the largest in Slovakia’s history.

In 2023, Westinghouse signed two agreements with Slovak state-owned nuclear company Javys for the potential deployment of AP1000 reactors and AP300 small modular reactors. While reactors using the AP1000 design (4) has been built in China and in the U.S. (2), the AP300 is still in development and has a likely commercialization date in the early 2030s.

Slovakia has been negotiating with Washington since last year to build an additional large-scale nuclear reactor at Bohunice, in the west of the country. Bohunice is one of Slovakia’s two nuclear power station sites and has two Russia-designed VVER-440 pressurized water reactor units operated by Slovenske Elektrarne.

The other site is Mochovce, which has three Russia-supplied operational plants. As of the end of 2025 work continued on the long delayed Mochovce Units 3 & 4, Russian 440 MW VVER. Testing and commissioning procedures of the two units was reported to be ongoing at that time.

In 2024, the Slovak government approved plans to develop a new unit at Bohunice with a capacity of around 1,200 MW and a target operational date of 2040.

The announcement did not include details on how the project would be financed, whether the U.S. would provide export financing for Westinghouse, nor how the project would be managed, e.g., by a U.S.EPC or other firms.

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Project Phoenix Report Proposes SMR Use in Slovakia

(Slovenské elektrárne) (WNN) The Project Phoenix study, carried out by Sargent & Lundy with Slovakia’s Ministry of Economy and nuclear energy operator Slovenské elektrárne, aimed to assess the country’s readiness and potential to host small modular reactors (SMRs), with a focus on four specific locations – Bohunice, Mochovce, Vojany, and US Steel Košice.

According to Slovenské elektrárne the evaluation used International Atomic Energy Agency recommendations including external risks, geological conditions, environmental and safety factors and site suitability. As well as the country’s general suitability, the study said that all four sites met the baseline criteria for SMR deployment.

Joshua Best, senior manager at company Sargent & Lundy, said: “The report affirms that Slovakia is strategically situated to deploy SMRs, with several mature, safe, and secure SMR technologies available that align with the country’s needs and goals. All candidate sites assessed are viable, and Slovakia is primed to take the next steps should they choose to proceed.”

The next steps are expected to be the development of a regulatory framework, detailed site investigations and public information and consultation. Project Phoenix was launched in 2022 with the aim of supporting energy security and climate goals by creating pathways for coal-to-SMR power plant conversions while retaining local jobs through workforce retraining. Slovenské elektrárne says that SMRs could be operational in the country from as early as 2035. The utility did not reference any specific vendor or SMR type, e.g., light water or advanced design.

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China to Power Petrochemicals Production with a PWR and an HTGR

(Chinese English language media reports) Construction on the Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Plant in Lianyungang, East China’s Jiangsu province, about 300 miles north of Shanghai, began on on 01/22/26 with concrete pouring, “starting on the “nuclear island” — the heart of the power plant.

The location on China’s east coast consistent with other Chinese new nuclear construction location decisions. It makes the site accessible for delivery of large reactor components by ocean going barges and provides sea water for cooling used turbine steam as well as desalination of sea water for main reactor cooling and steam generation.

According to the developer China National Nuclear Corporation, this is China’s first project to use nuclear energy to supply low-carbon steam for the petrochemical industry, significantly reducing the use of fossil fuels and providing an innovative solution for a green transformation in high-carbon industries,

The project marks the first time that a pressurized water reactor and a high-temperature gas cooled reactor have been coupled together for steam heating. It integrates a Hualong One, China’s third-generation nuclear power technology, with advanced fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology (HTGR).

While the press reports from Chinese state owned media did not indicate the power ratings of the two reactors, the Hualong One is rated at 1,100 MW as a PWR and an HTGR, developed for use in Shandong province, has a rating of 230 MW with two 115 MW HTGRs driving a single steam turbine.

The Shidao Bay-1 nuclear power in China began commercial operation in 2023, becoming what Beijing says is the first Generation IV plant in the world to go online. The HTR-PM (high-temperature reactor-pebble-bed modules) plant, in Shandong province was given permission to start commercial operation after it operated for 168 consecutive hours.  (IAEA ARIS DBMS Technical Profile)

The project is designed to use the main steam from the pressurized water reactor of Hualong One to heat desalinated sea water, producing large quantities of saturated steam. This saturated steam will be superheated by the main steam from the high-temperature gas cooled reactors, resulting in the production of high-quality industrial steam.

After all the heating processes, the majority of the industrial steam will be sent to the nearby petrochemical industrial base in Lianyungang. The project will also generate electricity.

Lianyungang’s petrochemical industrial base is one of the country’s major petrochemical hubs. To ensure its normal operation, a large amount of industrial steam is required in addition to petrochemical raw materials.

Most petrochemical reactions, such as crude oil distillation, catalytic cracking, hydrotreating and esterification, require high-temperature conditions. Steam provides stable heat for the entire reaction system, ensuring efficient and controllable processes. Steam is also used as a heat source in the fine separation of petrochemical products, allowing them to reach boiling points for gas-liquid separation or to remove impurities such as water.

Steam plays a vital role in the operation of power equipment such as steam turbines in petrochemical facilities, pipeline insulation and freeze protection, as well as in equipment cleaning.

Lianyungang’s industrial base requires up to 13,000 metric tons of steam per hour. Daily steam production on such a scale has relied on fossil fuels such as coal, bringing growing environmental challenges as China intensifies efforts to reduce its carbon emissions.

This project will result in a significant cut in carbon emissions. The carbon footprint of nuclear-powered steam is only 1/600th that of coal-fired cogeneration steam, and 1 percent of that of natural gas cogeneration steam, according to industrial data.

CNNC said that two Hualong One units and one high-temperature gas-cooled reactor unit will be built in the first phase of the project. Once operational, the first phase will supply 32.5 million tons of industrial steam annually, with a maximum power generation exceeding 11.5 billion kilowatt-hours. It is expected to reduce the use of standard coal by 7.26 million tons per year and cut CO2 emissions by 19.6 million tons annually.

Challenges of Digital Simulation

Bai Wei, chief design engineer of the Xuwei project at China Nuclear Power Engineering, told the Global Times that coupling design supported by digital simulation is one of the project’s key technical challenges.

By leveraging the resources of design institutes and universities, the project team has carried out hierarchical and specialized digital simulation for control system design, progressing from simple to complex scenarios and achieving multi-dimensional coupling. Full use of digital technologies has helped support the coordinated control logic design for the integrated system, Bai said.

Li Quan, project manager of China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction Co., Ltd, who is in charge of civil construction of the Xuwei project, told the Global Times advanced technologies such as laser intelligent tracking Metal Active Gas Automatic Welding have been deployed, improving efficiency by at least three times compared with traditional manual shielded metal arc welding.

According to the CNNC, the project marks the beginning of China’s transition in nuclear energy from a power-generation-focused model to diversified energy supply. It opens a new chapter in providing a replicable and scalable “Chinese solution” for the low-carbon transformation of high-energy-consuming industries.

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• Gov Hochul Adds 4GW to New York Nuclear Plan
• DOE Establishes Center for Used Fuel Research at Idaho National Laboratory
• LIS Plans $1.38 billion Laser Enrichment Plant at Oak Ridge, TN
• DOE And NASA Commit To Put a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon By 2030
• Type One Fusion Raises $87 Million
• Thea Energy Completes Fusion Power Plant Design Review

Gov Hochul Adds 4GW to New York Nuclear Plan

 (NucNet contributed to this report) New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled an ambitious new nuclear power initiative that would add 4 GW of new nuclear energy to existing capacity in the state, and it comes on top of recently announced plans for a new 1 GW plant.

The Nuclear Reliability Backbone initiative would now add a total 5 GW of capacity to the state’s existing 3.4 GW, creating a total of 8.4 GW. (Image: Google Gemini)

The announcement was made during Hochul’s ‘State of the State’ address in Albany, NY, on January 13th. It has the objective of creating reliable power for industry and homes and meeting growing electricity demands from data centers.

Creating a $45 billion Nuclear Backbone

The Nuclear Reliability Backbone project will be developed by the Department of Public Service (DPS), which will create a pathway to rolling out a further 4 GW of new nuclear energy and supporting the state’s aim to provide a zero-emission grid.

“By creating a stable foundation of always-on energy, the ‘Backbone’ will allow renewable resources to operate more efficiently and flexibly,” said Hochul. “Together, these actions will support a resilient, flexible, and zero-emission grid that meets New York’s growing energy needs.

Governor Hochul did not indicate how funding for first 1 GW and for the plan for an additional 4 GW of nuclear power, would be arranged by the New York Power Authority. At today’s global average cost of $9,000/kW, 1 GW would cost $9 billion and the added 4,000 MW of power would cost $36 billion for a total of $45 billion. Overall, the State of New York has lined up a series of five future final investment decisions that rival or exceed some of the current national nuclear programs taking place elsewhere on the planet.

Also, there was no estimate of the timeline for building the news reactors which would extend well beyond Hochul’s term of office. The current global average time to build a 1,000 MW plant is eight years. Assuming the reactors would be built in staggered schedules similar to the timeline for the four PWRs built in the UAE, if the the first unit broke ground by 2030, the last unit would be completed by 2042.

It is likely the four of the five reactors would be built in clusters of two in order to achieve economies of scale for procurement and efficiency in using thousands of skilled trades workers to built them. The fifth GW might be allocated to small modular reactors spread around the state as a political tilt towards sharing the wealth with localities that did not win the any of 1 GW sweepstakes prizes.

A key benefit of the project would be the location of supply chain firms in New York to provide steel, concrete, and many nuclaer and non-nuclear items plus construction related services. Communities that host the new construction will see temporary booms in local housing needs as well as rapid growth in demand for local government and health care services. The state government may find itself having to provide forward funding to these communties to meeting these needs as tax revenues from local sources would not be able to keep up with these kinds of rapid increases in temporary population.

An additional initiative will be launched to develop a “skilled, in-state nuclear workforce through coordinated education and training pathways.” The size of the undertaking fot 5 GW would require a construction workforce of as many as 5,000 people per site, and a permanent workforce of a minimum of about 500-600 people for each reactor.

According to governor’s press statement, the NextGen Nuclear New York initiative will aim to align educational curriculums, credentials, and career pathways with industry needs, as well as supporting workforce transitions for existing energy workers and increasing public awareness of nuclear career opportunities.

First 1 GW Project Sees a Robust Response

The announcement of the Nuclear Reliability Backbone project follows news recently that 23 developers and partners have expressed interest in the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) plans to develop a new1 GW nuclear plant in the state.

Among those to express interest in collaborating with the project were Acccenture, Aecom, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Holtec, NextEra Energy Resources, Rolls Royce,and Westinghouse.

In addition, eight communities expressed their interest in hosting the project. These were Broome County, Jefferson County, Oswego County, Schuyler County, St. Lawrence County, Wayne County, City of Dunkirk and RED-Rochester, which manages energy use at Eastman Business Park, near the Ginna nuclear station.

No doubt all of these companies and communities that expressed interest in 1 GW of new nuclear power plants are now recalibrating their expressions of interest to either align them with the plan for an additional 4 GW or to assess if they might be biting off more than they can chew with projects at this scale.

Political Shifts from Red to Blue May Be the Play Book

A political perspective is that in Hochul’s original proposal the governor targeted building one new 1,000 MW plant adjacent to one of three currently operating nuclear plants in and near Oswego in upstate New York. Initially, that decision was seen as being driven by the factors favoring building new nuclear plants near operating units to take advantage of grid connections, transportation infrastructure, and other common factors.

By provisioning a massive public works program in the region, Holchu may be trying to significantly alter historical voting patterns from red to blue. Holchu’s win in 2022 was based on votes in the major urban cities in New York. Rural areas, including Oswego County (CD24), voted overwhelmingly for the republican candidate Lee Zeldin who took 67% of the vote there

Since 2023, CD24 has been represented by deeply committed Trump supporter Rep. Claudia Tenney. In the 2022 election for governor her District voted more strongly Republican than any other district in the state. Prior to the redistricting which took effect in 2023, the district included the city of Syracuse.

A sitting Democratic governor in the partisan world of New York politics does not make plans to invest tens of billions of new capital spending in the state’s ‘red’ regions without an objective of swinging voters there to see the benefits of voting for ‘blue’ candidates in state and even national elections.

New York’s 24th congressional district is located in upstate New York in the Finger Lakes region, stretching alongside Lake Ontario from Oswego near Buffalo in the west to Watertown in the east. The district does not include Rochester, which is in the 25th district.

Four deep ‘red’ counties expressed interest in the reactors are located along New York’s northern border with Lake Ontario – Oswego, Wayne, St. Lawrence, and Jefferson. Two counties –  Schuyler County, Broome County – are located in rural southern New York along its border with Pennsylvania. The City of Dunkirk is located on the western edge of New New York on the shoreline of Lake Erie. The Rochchester, NY, area is considered to be ‘blue.’

As a practical matter, the siting decisions for four 1,000 MW PWR, or some combination of small modular reactors and full size plants, will favor locations on or very near the Lake Ontario shoreline. For instance, Ohio’s two nuclear power plants – Davis-Besse and Perry plants, are both located on the shoreline of Lake Erie.

This factor tilts site selection toward the line of ‘red’ counties that share Lake Ontario’s southern shoreline. In a nutshell targeting capital infrastructure spending in the tens of billions aligns with an unspoken but obvious political objectives in a ‘red’ region that can also leverage a key geophysical reality of proximity to the cool waters of Lake Ontario as the basis for site selection.

Grid Dynamics

The long-term prospect of construction of 5 GW of nuclear powered generating capacity will attract energy hungry data centers to the region. However, having the actual power on the grid from these reactors is at least a decade in the future. This means that data centers looking for power in today’s energy markets are going to push their demand for it on the New York grid as its exists today although some natural gas plants will likely be built in the next few years.

Regardless of where the reactors are located, new grid connections would likely be significant undertakings especially if the reactors are built at greenfield sites. As part of her overall plan, Hochul will tap DPS to launch the new ‘Energize NY Development’ initiative with the goal of modernizing how large energy users connect to the grid, making it faster and more predictable, and requiring strict conditions to protect ratepayers.

The effort has multiple objectives. It aims to streamline interconnection rules and improve transparency around grid upgrades while explicitly requiring that data center projects driving exceptional demand, without exceptional job creation or other benefits, cover the costs they create, or supply their own energy.

Holchu said the state would advance a new initiative to make sure that data centers pay their fair share in electricity costs. This policy could stimulate private wire power projects including mini-reactors.

“Unlike other sectors, data centers consume massive amounts of finite resources and place an unprecedented strain on the electric grid without creating many jobs in the process.”

To this end, she said that these industries must pay more, or if not, supply their own energy.

Holchu added that by accelerating responsible developmentm and requiring data centers to shoulder their own burden, Energize NY Development will support job creation, industry growth and economic investment across the state while sparing ratepayers additional pressure on utility bills. It is a noble vision, but it is also one that requires collaboration and consensus among many stakeholders including federal and state regulatory agencies that control grid development and use.

NYPA president and chief executive officer Justin Driscoll said, “NYPA is quickly advancing efforts to develop an advanced nuclear project in upstate New York that will strengthen the reliability and resiliency of our state’s electric grid and deliver substantial economic benefits to residents.”

A “Pivotal Moment” for New York

Given the politics of Holchu predecessor, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, who forced the closure of the 2,200 MW of nuclear power at the Indian Point site, Holchu’s multi-reactor plan is not only a 180 turnaround, it is what John Carlson, Senior Northeast Regional Policy Manager at global nonprofit organization Clean Air Task Force, calls a “pivotal moment” for New York.

“By tasking the Public Service Commission to develop the market frameworks to enable these new builds, Goveror Hochul is ensuring that ratepayer interests and affordability are at the forefront while building the clean, economical grid of the future, one that also supports workforce development, strengthens municipal tax bases, and delivers these economic benefits to local communities.”

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DOE Establishes Center for Used Fuel Research at Idaho National Laboratory

• Department of Energy designates Idaho National Laboratory as its leading institution for critical research, development, and demonstration efforts concerning used nuclear fuel management.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy announced the establishment of the Center for Used Fuel Research (Center) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), officially designating INL as its leading institution for critical research, development, and demonstration efforts concerning used nuclear fuel (UNF) management.  (White Paper – PDF file)

This strategic move underscores the DOE’s renewed commitment to solving one of the nation’s most pressing energy and environmental challenges and delivers on a key element of the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement establishing INL as the DOE lead used nuclear fuel research laboratory. 

The new Center is specifically designed to be a national and international hub for applied research on the management of UNF that supports and maintains compliance, and advances public confidence in the safe storage and transportation of both commercial and DOE-managed UNF.

This initiative directly addresses DOE’s statutory responsibility for the disposition of UNF and would not have been possible without DOE and the State of Idaho agreeing to a targeted waiver of the 1995 Settlement Agreement, which happened in April 2025. 

“Responsible management of used nuclear fuel is essential to the future of nuclear energy in the United States,” said Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish.

As the lead institution, INL will coordinate a broad and diverse collaboration through a “hub-and-spoke” model. This network will encompass other national laboratories within the DOE complex, leading universities, and key industry partners across the United States. Crucially, the Center will also extend its support and actively collaborate with international partners.

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LIS Plans $1.38 billion Laser Enrichment Plant at Oak Ridge, TN

LIS Technologies Inc. a proprietary developer of advanced laser technology, announced LIST will create 203 jobs and invest $1.38 billion in its future flagship commercial scale laser-based uranium enrichment facility on the  footprint of the K-25 Uranium Enrichment Site in Oak Ridge. This will be the third largest nuclear-related investment since the creation of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Nuclear Energy Fund.

Following the renaming of the 206-acre Duct Island to LIST Island and its redevelopment to house the Company’s commercial laser-based uranium enrichment headquarters, Oak Ridge, TN is expected to become the site of a commercial laser uranium enrichment facility, supporting U.S. utilities, next-generation reactor developers, and national defense requirements in support of the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.

Subject to licensing, permitting, and final investment decisions, the company intends to break ground and begin site preparation and civil construction in 2026. LIST is targeting initial commercial operations before 2030, positioning its laser enrichment facility to meet accelerating demand for domestically sourced uranium enrichment.

LIS Technologies Inc. Announces Funding Round of $17 Million

LIS Technologies announced that it has closed its 240% oversubscribed $17 Million funding round. The round attracted participation from a single large, accredited investor that accounted for the majority of initial raise, along with returning advanced nuclear technology investors, and Company insiders.

LIS Technologies is one of six domestic U.S. companies awarded the Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by DOE in 2024 to participate in the up to $3.4 billion Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program to build back the nuclear fuel supply chain, with contracts lasting for up to 10 years.

The company’s proprietary Condensation Repression Isotope Selective Laser Activation (CRISLA) technology is a  U.S.-origin and patented advanced laser enrichment solution.

LIS says it is “optimized for Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU), which is crucial for the continued operation of the United States’ current fleet of nuclear reactors, and High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), which is required to power the next generation of advanced nuclear reactors.”

The funding secured in this round will enable the company to develop its enrichment capabilities and infrastructure in Oak Ridge, TN and to eventually demonstrate the production of LEU in a single stage, HALEU in two stages, and diversify the CRISLA technology into stable isotopes and medical isotopes with fully scaled and industrialized equipment.

LIS did not receive funding from DOE in its latest round of contracts for enrichment services. On the other hand, Global Laser Enrichment received $28 million to continue developing its technology. In December 2024, LIS it was among six enrichment companies selected for the DOE’s LEU Enrichment Acquisition Program, which was set up with a total cumulative contract ceiling of $3.4 billion.

The following companies were awarded task orders totaling $2.7 billion to provide enrichment services for LEU and HALEU. This means DOE has another $700 million available for future awards.

• American Centrifuge Operating ($900 million) to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity
• General Matter ($900 million) to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity
• Orano Federal Services ($900 million) to expand U.S. domestic LEU enrichment capacity

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DOE And NASA Commit To Put a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon By 2030

• Agreement also includes plans to use fission plant for missions to Mars

(NucNet) The US Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA have renewed their commitment to a longstanding partnership to support the research and development of a fission surface power system for use on the Moon and future NASA. missions to Mars.

A joint statement by NASA and DOE on 01/13/26 said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the agencies solidifies the collaboration to deploy nuclear reactors on the Moon and in orbit. This will include the development of a lunar surface reactor by 2030.

The DOE and NASA said they anticipate deploying a fission surface power system capable of producing electrical power that will be able to operate for years without the need to refuel.

According to NASA, nuclear fission systems, which are relatively small and lightweight compared to other power systems, could enable continuous power regardless of location, temperature, available sunlight and other conditions.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said the US is committed to returning to the Moon, building the infrastructure to stay, and making the investments required for the next giant leap to Mars and beyond.

“Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power.”

In August it was reported that NASA was fast-tracking plans to deploy a nuclear energy source on the lunar surface by 2030, viewing it as a strategic imperative to prevent Chinese dominance in the “second space race”.

In March 2024, the head of Russia’s space agency said Moscow was working on plans with Beijing on ways to deliver and install a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2035.

UK engineering giant Rolls-Royce has unveiled a nuclear space microreactor concept model that is part of a UK Space Agency backed research program to deliver an initial demonstration of a UK lunar modular nuclear reactor.

Zeno Power is developing nuclear batteries (also known as radioisotope power systems) which use radioactive isotopes such as strontium-90 and americium-241 as fuel. As these materials naturally decay, they emit heat that can be used directly or converted into electricity using thermoelectric generators or a Stirling engine.

None of the developers of fission plants for lunar use or on Mars provided any technical details of the type of reactor technologies and fuels that would used in their power systems.

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Type One Fusion Raises $87 Million

Fusion power startup Type One Energy recently raised $87 million. The new funding is a convertible note that brings the total venture investment in the startup to more than $160 million. According to a report by TechCrunch Type One is also in the midst of raising a $250 million Series B at a $900 million pre-money valuation, according to sources and later confirmed by the company.

Like other energy startups, Type One has benefited from a surge in demand from data centers and the broader electrification of the economy. Data centers are expected to use nearly three times more electricity by 2035, while overall electricity demand is forecast to grow by 4% annually through next year.

Type One will employ magnetic confinement in its stellarator design. In a stellarator, magnets are arranged in a doughnut shape that’s twisted and turned according to the demands of the plasma. Previously built stellarators have been able to control plasma for long periods of time, though none have been built yet so far to produce electrical power on a sustained basis.

TechCrunch noted that last year, Type One signed deals with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to place the startup’s first commercial power plant at the site of the former Bull Run Fossil Plant, a coal-fired power plant that was retired in 2023. Infinity Two, as the power plant is called, is expected to generate 350 MW of electricity and could come online in the mid-2030s. Type One is planning to sell key technology to the TVA and power providers, who will build, own, and operate the plants.

Type One had previously raised a $29 million seed round in 2023 that was extended to a total of $82.5 million in 2024. Investors in that round included Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, and TDK Ventures.

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Thea Energy Completes Fusion Power Plant Design Review

According to The Fusion Report, the U.S. Department of Energy has certified Thea Energy’s preconceptual “Helios” pilot plant design following a comprehensive review by independent fusion experts from national laboratories, research institutions, and universities.

he certification makes the New Jersey-based stellarator developer the first awardee in the DOE’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program to complete its final major design milestone, validating both the physics basis and engineering feasibility of putting fusion power on the grid. (Overview of Technical Details with Images – PDF file)

“This final design milestone, now certified by the DOE, substantiates the validity of the planar coil stellarator and shows a clear pathway to a deployable power plant,” said Brian Berzin, co-founder and CEO of Thea Energy.

DOE reviewers conducted an on-site visit to Thea Energy’s Kearny headquarters and evaluated a 200-page technical report detailing the Helios design.

The pilot plant will follow “Eos,” a large-scale demonstration system designed to achieve power-plant-relevant, steady-state fusion by 2030. The company is currently evaluating five states for the Eos facility and expects to announce its site selection this year.

The company has raised over $30 million in private funding, including a $20 million Series A led by Prelude Ventures in early 2024, and receives additional non-dilutive funding through DOE programs including six INFUSE awards supporting collaboration with national laboratories.

About DOE’s The DOE’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program

The DOE’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program was modeled after NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services initiative, the pay-for-performance structure credited with catalyzing the private space industry. Eight companies were selected in May 2023: Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Focused Energy, Princeton Stellarators (now Thea Energy), Realta Fusion, Tokamak Energy, Type One Energy, Xcimer Energy, and Zap Energy.

• Prior coverage on this blog: DOE Awards $107M for Fusion Innovation

All eight awardees have been working toward presenting preconceptual designs and technology roadmaps within the first 18 months of the program. Thea Energy is the first among them to receive DOE certification of its complete pilot plant design.

Other awardees have completed earlier milestones. Focused Energy produced computational modeling for its laser-driven inertial fusion target design and demonstrated ion beam focusing. Realta Fusion completed whole-device modeling of simple mirror equilibria. Commonwealth Fusion Systems received validation for manufacturing and testing a production toroidal field magnet.

The program requires companies to provide more than 50% of milestone costs, with DOE validation serving as a credibility signal for subsequent fundraising. The Fusion Report noted that milestone awardees have collectively raised over $350 million in new private funding since selection, compared to $46 million in federal funding initially committed.

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• Holtec Submits License Application to NRC for the Palisades Twin SMR-300s
• Palisades Reactor Restart Delayed to 2026
• Illinois Gov Pritzker Signs Bill Removing State’s Ban on New Nuclear Power Plants
• Two New Reports from the Nuclear Innovation Alliance
• Rep. Simpson Secures INL Priorities in Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
• Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Siemens, Nvidia To Develop Fusion Digital Twin
• Chinese Tokamak Achieves Progress in High-density Plasma Operation
• Fusion Industry Association Reviews 2025 Events

Holtec Submits License Application to NRC for the Palisades Twin SMR-300s

Holtec International announced it submitted its first major licensing application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the Palisades SMR-300 Units, Pioneer 1 and 2. This major licensing submittal is the first part (Part 1) of an application for a construction permit application (CPA) for a utilization facility under 10 CFR Part 50 to authorize the construction of two SMR-300 small modular reactors. This submittal represents a step up from prelicensing topical reports and white papers that have been submitted thus far.

Part 1 includes a request for a limited work authorization (LWA), multiple exemptions to authorize certain construction activities prior to issuance of a full CPA under Part 2, and a comprehensive environmental report (ER). Holtec has requested that the NRC review and approve its CPA Part 1 by December 31, 2026.

The approval will allow Holtec to begin construction of the dual-unit SMR-300 plant located at the Palisades Energy Center (PEC) in Covert, Michigan. The NRC has officially assigned applicant docket numbers for Palisades SMR-300 Pioneer 1 and 2.

The SMRs are planned to be located adjacent to the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. Holtec is restarting the plant after receiving approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to change its status from decommissioning to operating. Construction of the twin SMRs is expected to be completed in the early 2030s.

This major licensing submittal also comes on the heels of many other recent project milestones for the SMR effort in December 2025, which include:

• U.S. DOE Tier 1 $400 Million Award to Accelerate Deployment of Holtec’s Dual-Unit SMR-300 Plant at PEC.
• Submission of Two Significant Licensing Topical Reports (LTRs) to the NRC that marks important significant pioneering advancements in the SMR-300 Civil-Structural design and licensing basis.
• Submission of the SMR-300 Instrumentation and Control Architecture LTR to the NRC.
• The NRC has issued their draft safety evaluation for the SMR-300 Design Basis Accident Radiological Consequences Analysis Methodology LTR.

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Palisades Reactor Restart Delayed to 2026

Plans by Holtec International to restart the single unit 800 MW PWR Palisades unit, located in Covert Township, MI, on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, by the end of 2025 have been postponed to the first quarter in 2026. Even with the delay, if the firm makes its new self-imposed deadline, it will still be the first U.S. nuclear power plant brought back from decommissioning status.

Two other nuclear power plants, Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania and Duane Arnold in Iowa, are also being restarted by their respective utility owners and operators. The Crane site is expected back online in 2027. Duane Arnold is targeting late 2028 or early 2029 for its expected restart date.

The apparent reason for the delay at the Palisades site is continuing work on the steam generating system. In 2024 the inspection of the steam generator identified a large number of the tubes had defects including cracks in them. Holtec’s corrective action is to insert sleeves in the damaged tubes which addresses the problems with them. Holtec confirmed in press statements that completion of this work and other unspecified project actions are the reason for the delay.

Critics of the restart, a coalition of anti-nuclear groups led by Beyond Nuclear said the delay was caused by “false confidence” on the part of Holtec. On 06/20/25 the NRC denied Beyond Nuclear’s petition to stop the restart of the reactor. In a 25-page finding (ML25171A153) the agency declined to accept any of the group’s contentions. In its report the NRC said Beyond Nuclear’s submission failed to meet the legal tests for a new hearing on the license.

The groups subsequently filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court for Western Michigan challenging the NRC’s approval of Holtec’s Palisades restart Exemption Requestor to proceed with the restart effort. A wire service report that the lawsuit was dismissed referred to a separate action that was withdrawn by Beyond Nuclear.

Other major milestones have been achieved in the restart of the Palisades reactor;

• In August the NRC changed the status of the plant from “decommissioning” to “operational” status.
• In September, the Department of Energy issues the sixth loan disbursement which is part of a $1.5 billion loan.
• In October the plant received 68 fuel assemblies which have been securely stored until the NRC authorizes it to be loaded in the reactor core.

According to nuclear trade press reports, major equipment restoration work is underway. Reassembly of the main turbine generator is progressing following more than a year of inspection, testing, and maintenance work. The plant also recently received and installed the second of two fully refurbished primary coolant pump motors

At the time it was taken out of service, Palisades was licensed to operate until 2031. Holtec notified the NRC last year that it intends to apply for a second, or subsequent, license renewal for the plant during the first quarter of 2026. This would extend the plant’s operating period by a further 20 years, to 2051.

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Illinois Gov Pritzker Signs Bill Removing State’s Ban on New Nuclear Power Plants

Senate Bill 25, the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, or CRGA, lifts a decades long ban on new large-scale nuclear power plants. The bill signing by Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker takes place following a report by state regulators that project energy shortfalls that could drive up costs in the next three to five years and force Illinois to import more power from out of state absent action from lawmakers and grid operators.

CRGA ends a longstanding ban on constructing new large-scale nuclear power plants. Illinois had previously lifted a ban on small, modular reactors (SMRs). This bill removes a legislative barrier to large-scale facilities. The bill goes into effect in June 2026.

The ANS Newswire noted that Pritzker’s signing of this legislation represented a shift from his August 2023 veto of a bill that would have lifted the state’s large reactor moratorium. At that time, he condemned that bill for “open[ing] the door to the proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts.”

As governors in other states, like California, know, rolling brownouts and electricity backouts are sure predictors of being voted out of office in the next election. Apparently, the Illinois governor changed his mind in approving the new Senate bill that authorizes new large reactors.

In Illinois so far two large nuclear reactors have moved from operating to decommissioning status – Zion 1 & 2. None of the 11 operating reactors in Illinois are at risk at this time of being shut down for economic or technical reasons. Except for the two BWRs at Qaud Cities, the other nine plants have license extensions that take their service lives many years into the future.

Nuclear Power in Illinois; Meta PPA Insures a Long Life for the Clinton Plant

Illinois has the largest number of nuclear reactors of any state. It’s “fleet” consists of 11 large reactors. The combined power for all units is 11 GW. All of them are owned and operated by Constellation.

In June 2025 Constellation (NASDAQ:CEG) and Meta signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the output of the Clinton Clean Energy Center to support Meta’s energy needs for its data center operations in the region.

Beginning in June of 2027, the agreement supports the relicensing and continued operations of Constellation’s Clinton nuclear facility for another two decades. This deal will expand Clinton’s clean energy output by 30 MW through plant uprates.

In December 2025 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) renewed the operating licence of Constellation’s Clinton-1 for an additional 20 years beyond its current expiration date of 2026. The NRC said the renewed licence for Clinton-1 will now run until April 2047. The review covered safety and environmental issues and was supported by a safety evaluation and a final supplemental environmental impact statement issued in August 2025.

With the guarantee that Clinton will continue to run for another two decades, Constellation is also evaluating strategies to extend the plant’s existing early site permit or seek a new construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pursue development of an advanced nuclear reactor or small modular reactor (SMR) at the Clinton Clean Energy Center site. An Early Site Permit, once issued by the NRC, has a 20-year shelf life.

Two commercial nuclear power reactors at Zion were decommissioned, and now only the ISFSI (Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation) pad remains.

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Two New Reports from the Nuclear Innovation Alliance

These are two new reports which cover nuclear energy developments to provide heat and power for military facilities in the U.S. and also assess DOE and DOD regulatory authorities for develolpment of reactors, outside of NRC licensing, for R&D projects and for military uses. Click on the indicated links to download these reports.

Briefing on New Nuclear Reactors for Military Purposes

The U.S. government has substantial efforts underway to develop new nuclear reactors for military purposes. Recent executive orders, together with congressional mandates, establish a coordinated strategy that links national security with mission assurance.

This new NIA publication outlines the federal policy framework and the projects, concepts, and solicitations underway to translate policy direction and statutory authority into operational capability. It further provides a comprehensive guide to the concepts and initiatives the government is pursuing to develop new nuclear reactors for military purposes. 

U.S. Federal Oversight of Nuclear Reactors Across NRC, DOE and DoD.

This report, written by NIA Fellow Rama T. Ponangi and NIA Program Manager Brittany Lutz, summarizes the roles and responsibilities of three federal agencies in conducting oversight of nuclear reactors in the U.S.

Federal oversight of nuclear reactors in the United States sits at the complex intersection of law, national security imperatives, and civilian regulatory independence. This brief examines the legal and historical context of federal oversight, tracing the statutes that assign authority for NRC to license and regulate commercial nuclear reactors, DOE to “authorize” nuclear reactors for research activities, and DoD to permit the operation of nuclear reactors for military use. It also explores interagency interfaces, agreements, and delegations, which shape the coordination of nuclear reactor oversight.

In this report, NIA recommends a concerted effort by all three agencies to ensure that technically mature, new nuclear reactor concepts are deployed with appropriate federal oversight and regulatory clarity to inspire public confidence.

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Rep. Simpson Secures INL Priorities in Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

The United States House of Representatives has passed H.R. 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported this advancement and secured critical funding for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

“The Idaho National Laboratory is a world leader in nuclear energy research and a hub for remarkable advancements in nuclear technologies,” said Rep. Simpson.

“INL has long worked to advance America’s nuclear technology and strengthen our national security, and I have been proud to support their efforts in Congress. I am confident that the future of nuclear energy is bright under President Trump and Secretary Wright. As a longtime member and former Chairman of this critical subcommittee, I am pleased to see this legislation expand America’s nuclear capabilities and address the future of nuclear energy.”

“Nuclear energy is experiencing unprecedented momentum, and we deeply appreciate the strong bipartisan support from Congress that has made this possible,” said Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner.

“We extend our special thanks to U.S. Representative Mike Simpson for his longstanding championship of nuclear energy and his unwavering commitment to Idaho National Laboratory. His leadership has been instrumental in positioning the laboratory at the forefront of America’s nuclear resurgence.”

Highlights of the bill include:

• Provides funding for INL’s infrastructure and operations.
• Provides funding for INL’s Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project.
• Provides funding for the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) Test Bed at INL.
• Funding for a variety of advanced reactor construction and demonstrations.
• Funding for further research and development of advanced Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) and High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) reactor fuel.
• Funding for the Idaho Cleanup Project on the INL Site.

House and Senate negotiators released the legislation earlier this week. The package includes funding for science initiatives and the Departments of Commerce and Justice; energy and water development; and the Department of Interior and the EPA.

The measure was approved in the House with a vote of 397-28. The Senate is expected to take up the package as soon as next week. The House and Senate are racing to avoid another government shutdown. This bill is part of that effort.

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Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Siemens, Nvidia To Develop Fusion Digital Twin

• Project will use AI and data tools to accelerate path to commercial reactors

(NucNet) Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has announced plans to collaborate with technology companies Nvidia and Siemens to develop a digital twin of its Sparc prototype fusion machine.

During a keynote address at the CES technology show in Las Vegas, NV, on 01/06/26. In it the two firms said that their work will apply artificial intelligence (AI) and data and project management tools to accelerate commercial fusion.

• The digital twin will use data from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industrial software, which includes the Designcenter NX for advanced product engineering, along with Teamcenter product lifecycle management (PLM) tools.
• CFS uses those tools to create, catalogue, and process machine designs and assemblies. The designs and assemblies can then be used in CFS’s modelling and simulation workflows.
• CFS will use Nvidia Omniverse libraries and OpenUSD to integrate data with classical and AI-powered physics models to create the digital twin of Sparc.

This virtual replica of the Sparc fusoin machne will provide CFS with a user-friendly way to run simulations, test hypotheses, and quickly compare the experimental results from the machine to the simulations. This ability to rapidly analyse data and iterate “will speed CFS’ efforts to make fusion energy a commercial reality”, the statement said.

Compressing Years of Work Into Weeks

“CFS will be able to compress years of manual experimentation into weeks of virtual optimization using the digital infrastructure developed by Nvidia and Siemens,” said Bob Mumgaard, co-founder and chief executive officer of CFS.

“Through this collaboration, we’re demonstrating how AI and integrated digital engineering can accelerate progress from design to grid power. This will allow us to transform how we build and operate fusion machines in the race to commercial fusion.”

CFS is also using Siemens’ digital tools to improve the efficiency of its manufacturing processes and operations at the company’s magnet factory in Devens, Massachusetts.

Del Costy, president and managing director, Americas, Siemens Digital Industries Software, said: “Fusion is complex, but data doesn’t lie. When you aggregate real manufacturing intelligence, apply AI, and run thousands of scenarios, you remove guesswork and accelerate innovation. This is the future of industrial engineering.”

 Target Is For First Plasma This Year

CFS, which is backed by Bill Gates’s technology fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures, is working to produce energy through a tokamak fusion process using high-temperature superconducting magnets developed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The company is building the Sparc prototype fusion machine at its headquarters in Devens, MA. Sparc is a compact, high-field, net fusion energy device that would be the size of existing mid-sized fusion devices, but with a much stronger magnetic field. It is predicted to produce 50-100 MW of fusion power.

Sparc is expected to produce its first plasma in 2026 and net fusion energy shortly after, demonstrating for the first time a design that will produce more power than consumed.

Technology giant Google has already agreed to buy power from the CFS Arc power plant being planned in Virginia. The 400-MW Arc could be the world’s first grid-scale fusion power plant, CFS has said.

CFS, founded in 2018 and spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has raised nearly $3 billion in funding from investors. The company raised $863 million in its latest funding round, with support from NVentures, Nvidia’s venture capital arm.

What is a Tokamak?

A tokamak is a machine that confines a plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape that scientists call a torus. Fusion energy scientists believe that tokamaks are the leading plasma confinement concept for future fusion power plants.

Image: EuroFusion via U.S. Department of Energy

In a tokamak, magnetic field coils confine plasma particles to allow the plasma to achieve the conditions necessary for fusion. One set of magnetic coils generates an intense “toroidal” field, directed the long way around the torus. A central solenoid (a magnet that carries electric current) creates a second magnetic field directed along the “poloidal” direction, the short way around the torus. The two field components result in a twisted magnetic field that confines the particles in the plasma. A third set of field coils generates an outer poloidal field that shapes and positions the plasma.

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Chinese Tokamak Achieves Progress in High-density Plasma Operation

(WNN) Experiments at China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak have confirmed the existence of “a density-free region” of the tokamak, finding a method to break through the density limit and providing important physical evidence for the high-density operation of magnetic confinement fusion devices.

A tokamak device is a toroidal device that uses magnetic confinement to achieve controlled nuclear fusion, resembling a spiral ‘magnetic track’ that locks in high-temperature plasma to achieve nuclear fusion. Plasma density is one of the key parameters of tokamak performance, directly affecting the fusion reaction rate.

In the past, researchers discovered that there is a limit to plasma density, referred to as the Greenwald density limit; once this limit is reached, the plasma breaks up and escapes the magnetic field confinement, releasing enormous energy into the inner wall of the device, affecting safe operation.

Through long-term research, the international fusion community has discovered that the physical process triggering the density limit occurs in the boundary region between the plasma and the inner wall of the device, but the underlying physical mechanism is not fully understood.

A team at the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, Anhui Province, developed a theoretical model of boundary plasma-wall interaction self-organization (PWSO), discovering the crucial role of boundary radiation in density limit triggering and revealing the triggering mechanism of the density limit.

Utilizing the all-metal wall operating environment of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) – known as the ‘artificial sun’ – they reduced boundary impurity sputtering by employing methods such as electron cyclotron resonance heating and pre-charged synergistic start-up, actively delaying the occurrence of the density limit and plasma breakup.

By controlling the physical conditions of the target plate, they reduced tungsten impurity-dominated physical sputtering, controlling the plasma to break through the density limit and guiding it into a new density-free region.

The team said the experimental results highly agree with PWSO theoretical predictions, confirming for the first time the existence of the density-free region in a tokamak. This innovative work provides important clues for understanding the density limit and offers crucial physical evidence for high-density tokamak operation.

In the experiments, EAST achieved line-averaged electron density in the range of 1.3 to 1.65 Greenwald density limit.

In a statement issued through Chinese state controlled media, the researchers said, “These results demonstrate the potential of a practical scheme for substantially increasing the density limit in tokamaks, which is also germane to the stellarator start-up … the breaking of Greenwald density limit and the successful access to the density-free regime as demonstrated in this work opens a promising path advancing toward achieving the fusion ignition condition.”

This work – the results of which were published in Science Advances – was a collaborative effort by the Institute of Plasma Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Aix-Marseille University, and was supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Project. A 01/01/26 report by Phys Org provides additional details.

The successful completion of this work benefited from EAST’s advanced all-metal wall experimental platform and its open collaborative proposal coordination mechanism. The precise diagnostic measurements of density, temperature, radiation, and impurities developed by the EAST device in recent years, as well as the efficient electron cyclotron resonance heating method, have provided important technical support for the work in this field.

Since starting operation in 2006, EAST has been an open test platform for Chinese and international scientists to conduct fusion-related experiments and research.

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Fusion Industry Association Reviews 2025 Events

The Fusion Industry Association (FIA) represents nearly five dozen U.S. developers of fusion machines as well as suppliers to these developers. Based in Washington, DC, the trade group represents its members before Congress and to the Department of Energy. This report is about the FIA’s year-end summary of significant events affectint its members. The video below highlights the five top things that happened in fusion energy in the U.S. in 2025.

Across the fusion industry, we continue to see scientific and technological advances that are moving commercialization closer. At the same time, policy and regulatory developments are laying the groundwork to ensure that when fusion is ready, it can be deployed at speed.

This year reinforced a critical shift: fusion is evolving from a primarily technical pursuit into an emerging energy industry. Private investment surpassed $10 billion as companies demonstrated credible routes to market. Governments expanded national fusion programs, regulators provided long-awaited clarity, major energy users expanded direct engagement, and the global fusion workforce continued to grow. Together, these developments point to a sector steadily building the technical, financial, and institutional foundations needed for success.

Video – A compilation of the top Fusion News stories from 2025, plus an overview of the year’s major industry and policy advances by FIA CEO Andrew Holland. Thanks for tuning in with us all year! (10 min on YouTube)

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• TerraPower in Mega Deal with Meta for Eight 345 MW Natrium Advanced Nuclear Plants
• DOE Awards $2.7 Billion for Uranium Enrichment
• Oklo, Meta Plan 1.2 GW Nuclear Energy Development in Southern Ohio
• Oklo and DOE Partner to Deploy Radioisotope Pilot Facility
• Oklo Developing an Plutonium Fueled Fast Test Reactor
• Terrestrial Energy Executes DOE Agreement Under the Advanced Reactor Pilot Program
• ZettaJoule Targets Industrial Uses of Advanced Nuclear HTGR Technology
• VISTRA Inks 20-Year PPA with Meta; Uprates Planned at Three Nuclear Plants
• DOE Delivers HALEU Feedstock for Advanced Reactor Fuel

TerraPower in Mega Deal with Meta for Eight 345 MW Natrium Advanced Nuclear Plants

TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company, and Meta, which owns and operated multiple social media platforms, announced an agreement to develop up to eight Natrium reactor one and energy storage system plants.

This agreement supports the early development activities for two new Natrium units with rights for energy provided to Meta for up to six additional Natrium units. Each Natrium reactor provides 345 MW of baseload power, with built-in energy storage that can ramp up to 500 MW for over five hours. A dual Natrium reactor site can provide 690 MW of reliable 24/7 365  power, and up to 1 GW of dispatchable electricity. Each site selected by Meta is expect to host twin Natirum reactors for a total of 690 MW at each site.

Under this commercial agreement, Meta will provide funding to support the deployment of the Natrium plants, with delivery of initial units as early as 2032. This is Meta’s largest support of advanced nuclear technologies to date and is the firm’s first direct investment in a new nuclear build. It is expected that many of the data center sites selected to be powered by the TerraPower reactors will by hyperscalers supporting Meta’s customers using the platform’s artificial intelligence products and capabilities.

At a hypothetical cost of $6,000/kW, each Natrium reactor will cost about $2.1 billion and eight of them would require about $17 billion. The size of the deal supports significant economies of scale for TerraPower’s supply chains as well as for the manufacturing of the reactors.

Power Will Support Meta Data Centers

Each reactor site will provide power for Meta’s data centers. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms and communication services, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads. According to official Meta statistics, the combined user community world-wide is 3.9 billion users a month.

The companies will target identification of a specific site for the initial dual reactor unit later this year. The press materials did not indicate whether all sites would be limited to the U.S. Also, it was not indicated whether Meta would connect these sites to local/regional grids or select some or all of them as private wire installations for its data centers which would by pass the current multi-year backlog of FERC approvals of new grid connections.

The eight 345 MW advanced sodium cooled reactors would provide Meta with up to 2.8 GW of carbon-free, baseload energy. Each reactor comes with the Natrium technology’s innovative built-in energy storage system providing the capacity to boost total output to 4 GW of power. 

Chris Levesque, TerraPower president and CEO said, “With our first Natrium plant under development, we have completed our design, established our supply chain, and cleared key regulatory milestones. These successes mean our TerraPower team is well-positioned to deliver on this historic multi-unit delivery agreement.”

Urvi Parekh, director of global energy, Meta, said, “This agreement with TerraPower, the result of Meta’s nuclear RFP process, which identified leading developers of nuclear energy to help us advance our energy goals, marks a significant step forward in advancing next-generation nuclear technology. Supporting new nuclear energy generation spurs job growth, drives innovation in our local communities, and reinforces America’s leadership in energy technology.”

TerraPower began construction on the first commercial-scale, advanced nuclear project in the United States, which is expected to be complete in 2030. The Natrium plant is the only commercial advanced nuclear technology with a complete environmental impact statement and final safety review as part of a construction permit application pending with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Betting on HALEU Fuel – Summary of TerraPower’s Nuclear Supply Chain

Meta and TerraPower are betting that sufficient supplies of HALEU uranium metal fuel will be available to fuel the reactors by the early 2030s. In October 2022 Global Nuclear Fuel–Americas (GNF-A), a GE-led joint venture, and TerraPower announced an agreement to build the Natrium Fuel Facility at the site of GNF-A’s existing plant site near Wilmington, NC.

In October 2024 TerraPower announced it executed a term sheet with ASP Isotopes Inc. to expand global production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). The agreement is the first step towards a two-fold definitive agreement; TerraPower plans to invest in the construction of a HALEU enrichment facility in South Africa, and TerraPower would purchase HALEU from the facility. This serves as one of many investments TerraPower has made to secure access to the fuel for the Natrium reactor and energy storage system being developed in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

TerraPower has also made multiple strategic agreements and investments to help spur domestic production capabilities in the United States and ensure a robust and competitive front end of the nuclear fuel cycle. These include MOUs and agreements with Centrus for HALEU commercialization, Framatome to develop a HALEU metallization plant and Uranium Energy Corporation to explore the use of Wyoming uranium as a potential fuel source for Natrium plants.

Enrichment: ASP Isotopes / Centrus Energy – Producing HALEU UF6​ gas and enrichment services.

Metallization: Framatome (Richland, WA) – Converting uranium gas/oxide into the metallic pucks required for the fuel pins.

Fabrication: Global Nuclear Fuel (Wilmington, NC) – Final assembly of the metallic fuel pins into fuel bundles.

Once enriched, Natrium’s fuel will be fabricated at the Natrium Fuel Facility in Wilmington, North Carolina , which is under development at the Global Nuclear Fuel–Americas site through a significant investment by TerraPower and the United States Department of Energy (DOE). TerraPower also remains an active member and participant of DOE’s HALEU Consortium.

TerraPower’s Natrium nuclear reactor, a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor, will require approximately 15 to 20 metric tonnes of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) metal fuel for its first core load. Once operational, the reactor is projected to require roughly 3.6 metric tonnes of HALEU per year for refueling.

The Natrium Fuel Facility will be jointly funded by TerraPower and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which aims to speed the demonstration of advanced reactors through cost-shared partnerships with U.S. industry. The facility represents an investment of more than $200 million.

The process, technologies, and expertise used to produce metal from depleted uranium can be used with uranium at the higher enrichment levels required to power TerraPower’s advanced reactor design. Production of HALEU metal is a crucial part of the fuel fabrication process which allows uranium to transform into a metallic feedstock that is used to fabricate fuel for advanced reactors.

Success in Uranium Metallization

In November 2025 Framatome and TerraPower achieved a key milestone in uranium metallization for advanced reactor fuel commercialization, producing successful elements of uranium metal. These metallic uranium ‘pucks’ represent a critical component in advancing the fuel supply chain for TerraPower’s Natrium reactor. The metallization fabrication line was completed at Framatome’s Richland, Washington, nuclear fuel manufacturing facility.

The input feed stock form is metallic fuel with sodium bonding up to 19.75% enriched feed material.  Metallic fuel fabrication – Feed material cast with melted zirconium to form a slug, processed into a rod up to 19.75% enriched fuel rods. Each Natrium reactor requires refueling outages every 24 months. The outages can be scheduled to occur staggered with two refueling outages every second year and one refueling outage between. For two unit sites, one unit can be operating while another is being refueled. (TerraPower briefing on fuel for the Natrium reactor – PDF file)

Big Tech Rivals Also Looking To Nuclear Power

(NucNet) Meta’s big tech rivals are also looking to nuclear power to help fuel their AI work. Meta, Amazon and Google signed a pledge in March supporting the tripling of global nuclear energy production by 2050. All three companies have signed deals related to the development and use of nuclear power.

In June, Meta announced a 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy so it could purchase purchase nuclear power from the company’s Clinton nuclear power station in Illinois beginning in 2027.

In 2024 Google said it will back the construction of seven SMRs from Kairos Power, becoming the first tech company to commission new nuclear power plants to provide low-carbon electricity for its energy-hungry data centres. Google has also agreed with electric utility NextEra to support the restart of the Duane Arnold nuclear power station in Iowa.

Microsoft announced that it would commit to buying 20 years’ supply of electricity from the mothballed Three Mile Island nuclear power plant – now renamed Crane – if Constellation restarted one of the two plants at the Pennsylvania site.

Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of the online retail giant founded by Jeff Bezos, acquired US power producer Talen Energy’s Cumulus data centre campus at the Susquehanna nuclear power station in Pennsylvania.

In October Amazon unveiled updated plans for an SMR facility in Washington that have 12 reactors producing a maximum of 960 MW of electricity.

The Cascade Advanced Energy Facility will be constructed in three phases, each with four of X-energy’s 80-MW, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors.

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DOE Awards $2.7 Billion for Uranium Enrichment

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $2.7 billion to strengthen domestic enrichment services over the next ten years. The historic investment expands U.S. capacity for low-enriched uranium (LEU) and jumpstarts new supply chains and innovations for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to create American jobs and usher in the nation’s nuclear renaissance.

Enrichment Task Orders

Last year, DOE signed contracts with a total of six companies for LEU and HALEU enrichment that allowed them to bid on future work. Today, the Department announced task order awards with three companies that will transition the United States away from foreign sources of uranium and diversify the nation’s domestic fuel supply.

Developing this new domestic production capacity for LEU and HALEU ensures an adequate fuel supply is available to maintain operations of the nation’s 94 commercial reactors and builds a strong base to supply future deployments of advanced nuclear reactors. To ensure accountability, these awards will be distributed to the companies under a strict milestone approach.

The following companies were awarded task orders totaling $2.7 billion to provide enrichment services for LEU and HALEU: 

• American Centrifuge Operating ($900 million) to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity
• General Matter ($900 million) to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity
• Orano Federal Services ($900 million) to expand U.S. domestic LEU enrichment capacity

Innovative Technology Funding Opportunities

DOE also awarded an additional $28 million today to Global Laser Enrichment to continue advancing next generation uranium enrichment technology for the nuclear fuel cycle. The award is the result of a competitive solicitation issued last December.

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Oklo, Meta Plan 1.2 GW Nuclear Energy Development in Southern Ohio

• Meta’s agreement with Oklo highlights growing market demand for advanced nuclear energy and commitment to clean power

Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO) an advanced nuclear technology company, announced an agreement with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) that advances Oklo’s plans to develop a 1.2 GW power campus in Pike County, OH, to support Meta’s data centers in the region. The agreement provides a mechanism for Meta to prepay for power and provide funding to advance project certainty for Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse deployment. Meta declined to comment on the financial terms of the agreement with Oklo.

Oklo’s reactors are expected to power Meta’s “Meta’s Prometheus” supercluster computing system that’s being built at a data center in New Albany, OH. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Prometheus last July. He said the system is one of the keys to the development of the company’s advanced artificial intelligence efforts. Meta has said it expects Prometheus to come online sometime in 2026.

Oklo will use the funds to secure nuclear fuel and advance Phase 1 of the project—supporting the development of clean, reliable power in Pike County that can scale up to 1.2 GW. Meta’s commitment enables Oklo to pursue development in southern Ohio.

Oklo seeks to develop the project on 206 acres of land in Pike County owned by the company and formerly owned by the Department of Energy. The land purchase was facilitated in part by the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI), a nonprofit working to reuse the land for regional development.

The agreement is expected to lay the foundation for constructing multiple Oklo Aurora powerhouses, creating thousands of construction and long-term operations jobs, expanding Ohio’s clean energy workforce, and generating new local and state tax revenues through investment in energy infrastructure.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently engaged in pre-application activities interactions for the Oklo Aurora Powerhouse reactor. The proposed Oklo reactors are liquid metal-cooled, metal-fueled fast reactors with a maximum power level of 75 MWe.  Oklo would need to build 16 of the 75 ME Aurora Powerhouse advanced reactors to fulfill zMeta’s need for 1,200 MW at the Ohio site.

Pre-construction and site characterization are slated to begin in 2026, with the first phase targeted to come online as early as 2030. The plans for the scalable powerhouse facility are expected to expand incrementally to deliver up to the full target of 1.2 GW by 2034.

Ohio’s location within the PJM interconnection—one of the nation’s largest grid systems—and its strong transmission network position it as a strategic hub for America’s clean energy growth as demand for artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure accelerates.

Oklo’s deal with Meta in Portsmouth, OH, in southern OH, and commitment to power Meta site in New Albany, up north near Columbus, presumes a major grid connection.

It is unclear who is responsible for the acquiring and building the grid connection. There is no guarantee that the PJM existing grid can carry the load of new generation of 1,200 MW.

Given the multi year backlog in FERC approvals, it is important for Oklo and Meta to get moving as the grid may involve acquisition of new rights of way for a major power line, as well as the approvals, and ultimately, construction of a new transmission line intended to carry between 135-155 KV over a distance of just over 100 miles.

The project aligns with the broader redevelopment efforts led by SODI to transform thousands of acres at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant—a symbol of national strength where local families played a key role in America’s national security efforts—into a hub for advanced manufacturing and clean energy.

“The project brings into focus the potential for the transformative impact the redevelopment of this site can have on our energy infrastructure and the reinvigoration of our community,” said Kevin Shoemaker, General Counsel at SODI. “We appreciate our strong partnership with Oklo and look forward to continuing to work with them to bring more jobs and economic opportunity to the region.”

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Oklo and DOE Partner to Deploy Radioisotope Pilot Facility

Oklo Inc. (NYSE: OKLO), an advanced nuclear technology company, announced that it has signed a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to support the design, construction, and operation of a radioisotope pilot plant under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program (RPP). Signing the OTA is a major milestone which marks the transition from project selection and planning into active execution under DOE authorization.

Atomic Alchemy Inc., an Oklo subsidiary, is using the Radioisotope Pilot Facility to lay the groundwork for future commercial plants that make medical and research radioisotopes in the United States. These radioisotopes are essential for diagnosing cancer, treating disease, powering medical research, and supporting national security. Today, many are produced overseas or in aging facilities. By first operating a pilot plant, Oklo can then scale into reliable, domestic production that helps ensure hospitals, researchers, and patients have consistent access to these lifesaving materials.

With the OTA now in place, Atomic Alchemy will focus its near-term resources on building the Radioisotope Pilot Facility under DOE authorization. As part of this learn-first-then-scale strategy, Atomic Alchemy has withdrawn its previously submitted Nuclear Regulatory Commission construction permit application for the Meitner-1 commercial radioisotope production facility at Idaho National Laboratory to focus on the Radioisotope Pilot Facility.

Oklo views the RPP as an enabler and accelerator to deliver advanced nuclear technologies that strengthen U.S. energy security, healthcare infrastructure, and industrial leadership.

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Oklo Developing an Plutonium Fueled Fast Test Reactor

The “Pluto” Reactor Project is a plutonium-fueled fast test reactor. Its purpose,unlike Oklo’s primary commercial product (the Aurora powerhouse), is designed as a test reactor to qualify surplus plutonium as a “bridge fuel” for commercial use. The Pluto project was selected under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Pilot Program (RPP).

The strategic goal of the test reactor is to establish the technical basis for converting surplus U.S. government plutonium into HALEU fuel. This data will eventually support the licensing and operation of Oklo’s commercial Aurora reactors using recycled or alternative fuel sources.

In December 2025, Oklo and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) successfully conducted a series of “fast-spectrum plutonium criticality experiments” at the Nevada National Security Site. These tests demonstrated negative reactivity feedback, a critical safety feature where the reactor naturally shuts itself down as temperatures increase, providing the benchmark data needed for Pluto’s formal design and safety basis.

It is important to note that Pluto is distinct from Aurora. Aurora is Oklo’s flagship commercial powerhouse (intended for data centers, industrial sites, etc.). Pluto is the pilot/test reactor platform specifically focused on the plutonium fuel cycle and R&D.

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Terrestrial Energy Executes DOE Agreement Under the Advanced Reactor Pilot Program

The OTA agreement provides for construction and operation of Project TETRA, Terrestrial Energy’s pilot reactor using Integral Molten Salt Reactor technology

Terrestrial Energy now positioned to move quickly from design to operation under DOE authorization, laying the groundwork for swift commercialization of IMSR plants

Terrestrial Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: IMSR), a developer of small modular nuclear power plants using its Generation IV reactor technology, announced that it has executed an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Project TETRA, an initiative to construct and operate a pilot reactor which will support Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) plant development.

This announcement marks an important milestone in Terrestrial Energy’s engagement with the Advanced Reactor Pilot Program, established by Executive Order 14301, under which the Company is targeting IMSR plant deployment facilitated by the DOE’s accelerated authorization of pilot TETRA reactor operation.

The agreement establishes a direct, streamlined collaboration with the DOE to review and authorize the design and safe operation of the TETRA reactor, a molten salt-fueled, graphite-moderated reactor that uses standard assay, low-enriched UF6-based fuel (SALEU) containing less than five percent U-235.

This agreement enables Terrestrial Energy to move quickly from design to operation under DOE authorization. Executed under DOE’s authority at 42 U.S.C. § 7256(g), the OTA enables the Company to operate outside traditional federal contracting constraints, providing a flexible and agile framework designed for swift advanced reactor innovation.

Terrestrial Energy’s commercial IMSR plant is designed to produce 822 MWth (390 MWe) of flexible low-cost clean firm energy for electricity generation and industrial heat applications. Its high-temperature molten salt fuel design supports electricity generation at superior efficiency and direct thermal delivery for manufacturing, data center operations, and other industrial heat end users.

The reactor’s use of readily available SALEU fuel eliminates substantial obstacles from high assay low-enriched (HALEU) fuel dependency, strengthening supply security and enabling rapid scalability with existing U.S. manufacturing infrastructure. With IMSR technology, Terrestrial Energy is creating a short and practical path to low-cost clean firm nuclear energy at scale.

The Advanced Reactor Pilot Program, established under Executive Order 14301, enables the DOE to authorize privately built reactors outside its national laboratories. The program provides a streamlined pathway to regulatory authorization for operation, bridging the gap between pilot reactor operations for system testing, and licensing for commercial plant operation, advancing U.S. leadership in the advanced reactor sector. In September 2025, Terrestrial Energy was separately selected for the DOE Fuel Line Pilot Program.

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ZettaJoule Targets Industrial Uses of Advanced Nuclear HTGR Technology

• The new design is based on Japan’s R&D work on the HTTR, a 30 MWt HTGR.

ZettaJoule, Inc., an advanced small modular reactor company, says that a major focus for the first commercial application for its ZJ advanced nuclear technology is to provide heat and power to an oil and gas operation. With an emphasis on production of heat and power, a refinery site is a potential location for the firm’s first planned commercial units.

However, in the near term the firm is planning to develop a 30MWt research reactor. With all the activity at Texas university sites for new nuclear technologies, any one of them might welcome the project. ZettaJoule has not yet publicly named the specific university partner for its Texas site, though it has confirmed it is transitioning its headquarters to Houston, Texas to support its initial project at an “as-yet-unnamed Texas university” and its first industrial commercial project in the state. 

While the initial research reactor will be at a university in Texas, one possible commercial focus for ZettaJoule in Texas is the oil and gas refineries. While the first proposed ZettaJoule reactor is designed to produce 30 MWt, commercial units may approach may approach 300MWe.

ZettaJoule’s proposed ZJ research reactor (non-power) is designed with the unique ability to operate operate up to 950 C, which is 600° C higher than conventional water-cooled reactors.

ZettaJoule’s ZJ reactor will be developed by modernizing proven, publicly available, safety-tested technology derived from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s HTTR, which began operating in 1998 and reached full power capacity in 2001.

About the Reactor Technology and Fuel

The ZettaJoule ZJ reactor is a High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) based on modernized technology derived from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s HTTR (High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor). The target for a construction permit for the modernized design is projected by ZettaJoule to be within the next two to three years (by 2028-2029).

Power Ratings: While the initial ZJ reactor is designed to produce 30 MWt, ZettaJoule’s roadmap includes scaling future commercial units to higher capacities approaching, such as 300 MWe from a 600 MWt source.

Heat Transfer System: It uses gas cooling (helium) to produce high-grade process heat.

Fuel Type: The ZJ reactor will use TRISO fuel which consists of uranium particles individually encapsulated in multiple protective layers of pyrocarbon and silicon carbide. They retain fission products even at temperatures as high as 1600° C. The ZJ reactor is expected to use LEU+ fuel, which is at 5-10 percent enrichment, to ensure commercial availability. The possible use of HALEU fuel may be considered at a later time. Most advanced reactors being developed in the U.S. use much higher levels of enrichment, e.g., up to 19.75% U235.

Investors, MOUs and Expected Uses

Aramco Support: ZettaJoule has received formal support from Aramco Services Company (an affiliate of Motiva Enterprises). Aramco is evaluating applications for its upstream and downstream operations.

Major Investors: Globis Capital Partners (GCP) is a known early investor, having participated in a seed round in December 2024. Significant in addition to Globis Capital Partners (GCP) are, Coral Capital, Archetype Ventures, HAX, and SOSV.

Regulatory Affairs: The firm has a dedicated regulatory leadership team, including Rumina Velshi, formerly  President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Regulatory Affairs) and Andrea Veil, formerly Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation at the NRC (SVP Regulatory Strategy). However, the firm has not yet announced its plans to submit a regulatory engagement plan to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Hydrogen Production: While the primary focus mentioned is high-temperature process heat for industrial sectors, HTGRs capable of reaching 950°C also provide efficient ways to produce hydrogen. Industry analysis continues to highlight hydrogen production as a key expected use for such high-heat technologies.

Prior Coverage at Neutron Bytes of Japan’s HTTR

• Japan / HTTR Restarts And Could Be Used To Demonstrate Green Hydrogen Production
  
• Japan Regulator Says HTTR Is CompatibleWith Post-Fukushima Standards

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VISTRA Inks 20-Year PPA with Meta; Uprates Planned at Three Nuclear Plants

Vistra (NYSE: VST) announced it has entered into 20-year PPAs to provide more than 2,600 MW of zero-carbon energy from a combination of three different Vistra nuclear plants to support Meta’s operations in the region.

The agreements include 2,176 MW of operating generation and an additional 433 MW of combined power output increases, which will be the largest nuclear uprates supported by a corporate customer in the United States. Vistra will now begin planning for subsequent license extensions at all three plants, which would extend operations of these carbon-free assets for another 20 years. Meta’s purchases under the agreements will begin in late 2026, with additional capacity added to the grid through 2034, when the full 2,609 MW of power will be online.

Through the agreements:

Meta is purchasing 2,176 MW of nuclear energy and capacity from the operating Perry and Davis-Besse plants in Ohio;

Meta is also purchasing 433 MW of incremental nuclear energy and capacity from equipment upgrades to increase generation output (called uprates) at the Perry (Ohio), Davis-Besse (Ohio), and Beaver Valley (Pennsylvania) plants – more than 15% of the contracted capacity announced today will be new capacity added to the PJM region;
the electricity generated at the plants will continue to go to the grid for all electricity users.

Each of the three plants has received initial license renewal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The PPAs provide certainty for Vistra to pursue subsequent license renewal for each of the reactors, which would extend each license an additional 20 years. Currently, Beaver Valley Unit 1 is licensed through 2036; Davis-Besse is licensed through 2037; Perry is licensed through 2046; and Beaver Valley Unit 2 is licensed through 2047.

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DOE Delivers HALEU Feedstock for Advanced Reactor Fuel

(WNN) Standard Nuclear, which describes itself as a reactor-agnostic producer of TRISO (tri-structural isotropic fuel particles), says it is the first company to both receive authorisation from the Department of Energy (DOE) and also physically receive HALEU for production of advanced TRISO fuel.

The HALEU feedstock has been allotted by the DOE to California-based nuclear microreactor developer Radiant. It will be processed by Standard Nuclear into TRISO fuel for Radiant’s advanced reactor demonstration scheduled for 2026. Standard Nuclear said the volume of material is “sufficient to produce a full core load of advanced nuclear fuel for the first reactor startup by Radiant.”

The project operates under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) executed between Standard Nuclear and the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office, which was announced in December. This provides authorisation for the company to receive and process the material into advanced nuclear fuel.

“Receipt of this shipment of HALEU feedstock is a transformative moment, firmly entrenching Standard Nuclear’s position at the forefront of the advanced nuclear fuel supply chain,” Standard Nuclear CEO Kurt Terrani said.

HALEU – uranium enriched to contain between 5% and 20% uranium-235 – will be used by many advanced reactors. The USA is working to build up its supply chain for the material: it has recently allocated $2.7 billion in funding to strengthen the supply chain for both low-enriched uranium and HALEU. The HALEU Availability Program was established as long ago as 2020 to secure a domestic supply of HALEU for civilian domestic research, development, demonstration, and commercial use, to enable nuclear developers to request HALEU material from DOE sources, including material from the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The DOE launched its Fuel Line Pilot Program in July 2025, alongside the Reactor Pilot Program. These two initiatives were launched in response to executive orders issued by President Donald Trump to expedite the testing of advanced nuclear reactor designs under DOE authority outside of the national laboratories, with the goal of three reactors reaching criticality by 4 July this year.

Radiant, developer of the 1 MWe Kaleidos TRISO-fuelled high-temperature gas-cooled portable microreactor, was selected by the DOE in August as one of the first selections under the Reactor Pilot Program. It plans to test its first reactor in 2026 at the Idaho National Laboratory, with initial customer deployments beginning in 2028.

In mid-December, the California-headquartered company announced it had raised more than $300 million in a new round of funding to support the scaling of its commercialisation efforts. It is planning to break ground early this year for a factory to make its transportable nuclear generators at Oak Ridge, TN. According to Radiant, the R-50 factory will be the first in the world to mass-produce portable nuclear reactors.

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• India’s SHANTI Bill Boosts Plans for New Nuclear  Reactors
• Ghana Readies Plans to Build First Nuclear Reactor
• Vietnam Takes a Step Back from Nuclear Power Plans

India’s SHANTI Bill Boosts Plans for New Nuclear  Reactors

The Indian Parliament’s passage of the “Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy in India” (SHANTI) bill is a hugely consequential overhaul of India’s nuclear power framework. It opens up the nuclear energy sector to domestic private sector investments and to a limited degree to foreign participation.  (Kudankulam NPP. Image: NPCIL)

It does not authorize foreign direct investment. It ends the chokehold the Supplier Liability Law had that severely limited western nations from offering their reactors to be built in India. It is not clear that long standing proposals by EDF and Westinghouse will now move forward due, in part, to the continued ban on foreign direct investment.

India’s nuclear sector has been state-controlled since 1956. According to Indian government statements, the legislation signals the government’s intent to place nuclear energy at the heart of India’s long-term energy security strategy. Despite its sweeping scope of changes the bill has also triggered sharp criticism from opponents of nuclear energy over safety, accountability and transparency. In the debate in India’s parliament opponents of the bill tried numerous tactics to sideline the bill or kill it altogether.

Support for India’s push for the SHANTI bill was driven in part by rising energy demand, persistent dependence on coal, the incredible air pollution coal fired power plants cause in major cities, and the limitations of renewable power in providing round-the-clock electricity.

The legislation is expected to help India meet its target of installing 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, up from its current fleet of just 7.5 GW as of 2025. As one of Asia’s most populous countries, with some of its largest cities, nuclear energy’s expected contribution to providing CO2 emission free reliable power has a long way to go.

The End to Very Restrictive Laws

For many years India’s nuclear sector was governed by two very restrictive laws, the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, which effectively kept private and foreign players out.

Western nations viewed these two laws as more than just domestic safety measures. The laws were seen as trade barriers to slow down the growth of the nuclear energy sector and thus prolong the use of coal. India’s massive coal deposits are state-owned, but private contractors reap huge profits operating them.

These laws blocked a number of projects, including a longstanding initiative for France’s EDF to build six EPR nuclear power plants at Jaitapur in the Maharashtra region of western India. It also blocked a proposal by Westinghouse to build six AP1000 PWRs in Kovvada in Srikakulam district.

Overall, the nuclear liability provisions significantly deterred global suppliers. Only Russia, which as a sovereign nation self-insures, has built reactors for India. These are the four 1,000 MW VVER commissioned at the Kundakulam site in Tamil Nadu. Another two Russian units are planned for that site.

NPCIL Opens Up to Private Investment

The SHANTI Bill includes a focus on creating a predictable investment and regulatory environment. The SHANTI Bill dismantles the monopoly of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) over nuclear plant operations. For the first time, private Indian companies can apply for licenses to build, own and operate nuclear power plants, either independently or through joint ventures.

The Bill permits up to 49% private participation, while the government retains 51% control over key domains including nuclear fuel production, heavy water manufacturing, radioactive waste management, safety systems, licensing and strategic oversight.

The bill also permits private companies to participate in plant operations, power generation, equipment manufacturing, and specific activities such as nuclear fuel fabrication, including “conversion, refining and enrichment of uranium-235” up to a threshold value to be set by the government.

Foreign suppliers are allowed to participate as suppliers of nuclear equipment, though the law stops short of explicitly permitting foreign direct investment. This means only India firms can participate as investors in new nuclear power plants. The model envisaged is essentially a public–private partnership, with private capital and expertise operating under state supervision.

There are plenty of opportunities. India is committed to building an initial fleet of 10 700 MW PHWRs using all Indian heavy industry and labor force. Another eight units are expected to be authorized for this design.

Plans to Add Small Modular Reactors to the Grid

A request for proposals from ‘visionary Indian industries’ to finance and build a proposed fleet of 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors (PHWR design) by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has been extended to March 31, 2026. The proposal would allow private companies to build reactors under NPCIL’s control and supervision. On completion, the plants would be operated by NPCIL under a long-term operation and maintenance agreement.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in July 2025 the initiative would involve a joint venture between state power company National Thermal Power Corporation and state power generation equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.

Sitharaman also said the government planned to partner with the private sector to establish a company called Bharat Small Reactors and conduct research and development on SMRs and newer nuclear technologies.

An industry executive said in August that India might deploy as many as 40-50 SMRs as it aims to achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2070.

Amit Sharma, managing director and chief executive officer of Tata Consulting Engineers, told Press Trust of India (PTI) that New Delhi was pushing ahead with plans to develop the Bharat SMR based on its existing pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) technology, which was developed from earlier Canadian Candu designs.

“We are going to take the old design of the PHWR and then reconfigure and redesign it to be modular, scalable and safety-aligned to post-Fukushima standards,” Sharma said.

Holtec Gets U.S. DOE Permission to Offer Its 300 MW SMR in India

U.S. firm Holtect has proposed building a factory in India to manufacture its 300 MW PWR type SMR. Currently, Holtec has a manufacturing plant in Dahej, India, which produces specialty products for various energy related industries.

In April 2025 the US Department of Energy (DOE) has granted a specific authorization for Holtec International to share technical information about the company’s SMR-300 small modular reactor for deployment in India. Holtec said the authorization, which was approved by the Indian government, names three Indian companies with whom Holtec can share technical information to execute its SMR-300 program. The companies are Larsen & Tubro and Tata Consulting Engineers, both based in Mumbai, and Holtec’s own subsidiary, Holtec Asia, based in Pune.

Plans to add additional Indian state-owned entities to the eligible list have been delayed until the SHANTI act is fully implemented. These entities include Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NCPIL), the Department of Atomic Energy, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and power utility NTPC. The SHANTI bill grants statutory recognition to India’s nuclear regulator, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. Organizational development and staffing of the agency is now a priority.

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Ghana Readies Plans to Build First Nuclear Reactor

(Engineer235 contributed to this report)  Ghana plans to begin construction of its first nuclear power plant by 2027 to diversify its energy mix. Two sites have been identified for the facilities, with one hosting a larger power plant and the other a smaller industrial
facility.

Dr Robert Sogbadji, Minister of Energy and Green Transition,, has identified two sites – one in the Western Region and another in the Central Region, for a large and a smaller industrial facility, respectively, as part of efforts to diversify the country’s energy mix. Sogbadji said the government has begun acquiring the land for the projects.

In February 2025, Ghana hosted its first IAEA Site and External Events Design Review mission, with experts from Pakistan, Turkey, the UK, and the USA, invited by the government and hosted by Nuclear Power Ghana.

The team reviewed proposed nuclear sites, with Nsuban in the Western Region as the preferred location and Obotan in the Central Region as a backup, evaluating the site selection process, criteria, and data collection.

IAEA Mission leader Kazuyuki Nagasawa said, “The implementing organization and management system are well-designed, and the Site Approval Report has been thoroughly prepared. Ghana followed IAEA safety standards in the site selection process.”

While Ghana has not disclosed which firm will handle construction, according to a Reuters report last year, several companies are vying for Ghana’s nuclear project contract, including France’s EDF, U.S.-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group, and China National Nuclear Corporation. South Korea’s KEPCO and its subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation, as well as Russia’s Rosatom, are also competing for the contract, which is expected to span the next decade.

Prior Coverage on this Blog

• What’s Going on in Ghana with its Nuclear Tender?

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Vietnam Takes a Step Back from Nuclear Power Plans

Reuters reports that Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wants talks with Russia to build a nuclear power plant to wrap up this month and urged government officials to find new partners after Japan pulled out from a second project.

The wire service notes that Vietnam resumed its nuclear power program last year after halting it in 2016. Under the plan, Hanoi negotiated with Russia and Japan to build two power plants with a planned combined capacity of 4 to 6.4 gigawatts, with the aim of signing agreements with Russia by September and with Japan by the end of last year.

However, Vietnam and Japan were not able to come to terms over the plans for new reactors. In December, Japan’s ambassador to Vietnam said in a statement that Japan has dropped out of plans to build a major nuclear power plant in Vietnam because the government’s goal of having it online by 2035 was too ambitious.

Vietnam has long turned to Russia for technology to buffer its economy from being too heavily influenced by China with which it shares a long common border. Vietnamese officials plan to hold a new round of talks with Rosatom this month with the aim of having it build new reactors to come online in the early 2030s. Also, Korea Electric Power Corp reportedly expressed interest in Vietnam’s nuclear projects.

Vietnam wants to deploy a significant increase in its baseload electrical generation capacity for several reasons. Most important is that the country has become a center for manufacturing in Asia including semiconductors. Also, the country has ambitions to move its bauxite mining operations in the central highlands into a finished aluminum goods export program.

As a practical matter if Vietnam broke ground in 2025 for four new full size reactors, under ideal conditions it would be eight-to-ten years before the first unit was in revenue service or 2035, and at least 12-14 years to complete all four reactors or 2039.

Officials have said Vietnam has also discussed small modular reactors, which the International Atomic Energy Agency says are still under development but would be more affordable and faster to build than large power reactors.

Prior History of Vietnam’s Nuclear Program

In 2009, Vietnam had approved plans to develop its first two nuclear power stations of 4 GW each, but those were shelved in 2016 due to costs and a lack of government capacity to manage the safe construction and operation of multiple large nuclear reactors. The proposed plants were planned to be built by Russia’s Rosatom and Japan Atomic Power Co in the central province of Ninh Thuan. Both nations offered packages of up to 4 GW each.

In January 2015 Hoang Anh Tuan, then head of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Agency, told western news media that the reason for the delays is that the government isn’t ready to manage the project nor does it have a mature and independent nuclear safety and regulatory oversight agency. A national nuclear safety agency was set up in 2010, but much more work was needed before work could being on large scale construction of multiple 1,000 MW light water reactors.

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• Duke Energy Submits Early Site Permit at Coal Plant Site
• Wyoming Awards $100 Million for BWXT TRISO Fuel Plant
• Centrus Launches Commercial LEU Enrichment Activities
• Urenco USA Produces First LEU+ Fuel
• Bulgaria And Poland Companies Set Joint Venture for BWRX-300 SMR
• Turkey Lands $9 billion in Finance from Rosatom for Akkuyu
• Japan Plans To Restart Unit 6 At Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Station Next Month
• China Begins Work on Two More Nuclear Power Plants
• TAE, UKAEA Create Joint Venture for Fusion Energy

Duke Energy Submits Early Site Permit at Coal Plant Site

• The company’s application includes six potential reactor technologies, including four small modular reactor designs and two non-light-water designs. Large light-water reactors, similar to the 11 units Duke Energy currently operates in the Carolinas, are not included in the permit application. The first small modular reactor would come online no earlier than 2036
  
• The early site permit application was submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on 12/30/25. The review and approval process takes about 18 months. Once the permit is received, likely in 2027, it remains valid for 20 years and may be renewed for up to 20 more years.
  
• The application opens the door to licensing activities while reducing costs and risks for customers and investors. Though licensing activities at the Belews Creek, N.C., site are progressing, the company has not yet selected a reactor technology or decided to build new nuclear units at the site.

Duke Energy Service Area: Map Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) announced its submission of an early site permit (ESP) application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a site near the Belews Creek Steam Station in Stokes County, N.C., culminating two years of work. The submittal is part of the company’s strategic commitment to evaluate new nuclear generation options to reliably meet the growing energy needs of its customers while reducing costs and risks.

Stokes County has been home to the 2,220 MW Belews Creek Steam Station for more than 50 years. With the current units scheduled to retire in the late 2030s, the 2.24-GW, two-unit coal-fired generating facility is Duke Energy’s largest coal-burning power plant in the Carolinas.

In response to a North Carolina regulatory order, Duke Energy modeled large light-water reactors in the Carolinas Resource Plan filed on Oct. 1, 2025, in addition to small modular reactors. To meet projected growth, new nuclear generation is needed on line by 2037, either 600 MW from two small modular reactors at the Belews Creek, N.C., site or one 1,117-megawatt AP1000 unit at the William States Lee III site in Cherokee County, S.C. (with additional units to follow in both scenarios).

Duke’s ESP filing with the NRC only references small modular reactors, e.g., 300 MW, and the usual preapplication filings. Duke first contacted the NRC about the ESP in February 2024. A regulatory engagement plan ML25238A036 was filed inAugust 2025.

No Large Reactors in Duke’s Future

The utility said in its press statement that decision on which nuclear technology the company will pursue at the coal plant site in North Carolina will be made in the future after evaluating financial and technical risk factors. One big risk that Duke seems very intent on avoiding is building any 1,000 MW scale reactors.

In the ESP submitted last week the company did not include large reactors like the AP1000 as being under consideration for the Belews Creek site. Perhaps one reason is that more than any other utility, Duke shrank the size of it planned future fleet of large reactors by nearly 8 GW between 2012 and 2018.

William States Lee was at one time slated for twin AP1000s. The company received a combined license (Part 52 construction and operation) from the NRC in 2016. Duke suspended work on a COL for twin AP1000s at the Shearon-Harris site in North Carolina (twin AP1000s), and as a result of its acquisition of Progress Energy in 2012 terminated the COLs for twin AP1000s at the Levy County, Florida site in 2018. In summary, the utility cancelled 4.6 GW of planned reactor construction and put another 2.3 GW on ice indefinitely.

A serious event in Duke’s acquisiton of Progress Energy was the assumption of the damaged Crystal River -3, an 860-MW pressurized water reactor unit that began commercial operation in 1968. Instead of using a special team with expertise in replacing steam generators, Progress opted to save money by using inhouse engineers. The result was severe damage to the containment structure. Duke permanently shut down Crystal River in 2013 after an analysis of the damaged containment structure determined it was too expensive to repair.

Duke’s ESP Strateguy is Built Around Risk Mitigation

The ESP is technology neutral, allowing Duke Energy to receive the permit and select a technology later in the development process. The company’s application includes six potential reactor technologies, including four small modular reactor designs and two non-light-water designs.

Submitting an ESP application is a first for Duke Energy and a risk-mitigation strategy for the company as it pursues new nuclear generation options. An ESP is an optional NRC process that resolves environmental and site safety topics on the front end of a project and confirms a site’s suitability for new nuclear generation. Having an approved permit reduces the risk of delays during licensing and construction if the company decides to build new nuclear units in Stokes County in the future.

Duke Energy said in its press statement that pursuing the permit also provides more time for SMR light water and advanced reactor technologies to evolve and mature, while allowing the company to continue progressing through necessary licensing activities. Duke has plenty of time to make up it mind.

While Duke Energy has yet to make a decision to build new nuclear units, receiving an ESP provides future options for the company’s customers and the communities it serves. If additional evaluation confirms small modular reactor technology at the Belews Creek site offers the best value for customers, the company also plans to add 600 MW of advanced nuclear to the system by 2037. Thes units will be separate from SMRs. Development of the first small modular reactor has it coming on line in 2036. This date suggests that the first SMR won’t break ground before 2033.

Duke  submitted the early site permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on 12/30/25. The review and approval process takes about 18 months. Once the permit is received, likely in 2027, it remains valid for 20 years and may be renewed for up to 20 more years.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. The company’s electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 MW of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

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Wyoming Awards $100 Million for BWXT TRISO Fuel Plant

Governor Mark Gordon and the Wyoming Energy Authority (WEA) have approved $100 million in Large Project Energy Matching Funds (LPEMF) for BWXT to develop a nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Gillette, WY. This project will produce commercial quantities of TRISO fuel for advanced nuclear reactors.

The funding originates from 2024 legislative appropriations specifically designated for energy projects. BWXT is projected to invest more than $400 million to reach full operational scale, exceeding the minimum matching requirement.

The project integrates fuel fabrication into Wyoming’s existing “front end” fuel cycle, which currently focuses on uranium extraction. Northeast Wyoming contains the country’s largest known uranium reserves. Five of the top-producing uranium mines in the U.S. are located within 70 miles of the Gillette site.

The project requires a 40-year license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Given that the NRC often grants extensions — with some U.S. facilities operating for 70 years — Wyoming officials anticipate this will be a multi-decadal facility.

This investment follows the Federal government’s “Prohibiting Uranium Imports Act of 2024,” which banned Russian fuel imports and increased the demand for domestic supply chains16. Wyoming currently holds approximately 54% of the U.S. uranium market share. By adding TRISO fuel fabrication, the state seeks to reduce national reliance on foreign fuel and support the deployment of next-generation nuclear reactors.

The TRISO Fuel Manufacturing Process

In order for the BWXT plant to fabricate fuel from uranium mined in Wyoming, the material has to go through several steps to get it in the right form to make TRISO fuel.

The Nuclear Fuel Fuel Cycle. Image: U.S. NRC

First, the uranium ore that is mined in Wyoming has go through a separation process to extract the uranium from the ore annd turn it into a powder form called “yellowcake.” Next, the yellowcake is shipped to a conversion facility to be turned into a gas form called uranium hexafluoride or UF6. The gas is then shipped to an enrichment plant where U235, the fissile isotope of uranium, is accumulated using centrifuges to at least 3-5% U235. Then the UF6 goes back to the conversion plant where it is turned into a new powder form suitable for making TRISO pellets. Finally, the powder is sent to the BWXT plant where the TRISO fuel is fabricated and then shipped to customers.

TRISO fuel is frequently described by the Department of Energy as “the most robust nuclear fuel on Earth” due to its intrinsic safety features. Each fuel particle is roughly the size of a poppy seed. It consists of a uranium kernel (typically uranium oxycarbide or uranium nitride) encased in three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials, including silicon carbide.

These layers act as an individual containment system for each particle, retaining fission products and resisting corrosion even under extreme heat. The fuel can withstand temperatures exceeding the threshold of current nuclear fuels, which prevents the core from melting even if the reactor loses its coolant.

Fuel Variants: BWXT is developing two primary forms of TRISO fuel

• UCO TRISO: Uranium Oxycarbide, currently used for the Department of Defense’s Project Pele microreactor.
  
• UN TRISO: Uranium Nitride, designed for higher uranium density and longer reactor lifespans in Generation IV reactors.

About the BWXT Facility

Construction is projected to begin around 2027, following an 18-to-24-month permitting process, with the facility becoming operational by late 2030 or 2031.

The planned facility in Gillette is designed to move TRISO from specialized, small-batch production to a fully commercialized supply chain. The complex is envisioned to be between 150,000 and 250,000 square feet. It will include manufacturing space, chemical storage, and wastewater treatment. Because the facility will handle uranium enriched to less than 20% (HALEU), it requires a Category II license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

BWXT has stated the facility will not create, store, or handle high-level nuclear waste or spent fuel, as it operates exclusively on the “front end” of the fuel cycle (fabricating fresh fuel).

At full operation, the facility will support 200 direct jobs with an estimated annual payroll of $20 million. Economic modeling suggests an additional 194 indirect and induced jobs, contributing another $20 million in annual payroll to the region.

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Centrus Launches Commercial LEU Enrichment Activities

• Multi-billion-dollar uranium enrichment capacity expansion expected to create manufacturing jobs and drive U.S. exports. New enrichment capacity is expected to come online in 2029

Centrus Energy (NYSE:LEU) announced that it has begun domestic centrifuge manufacturing to support commercial Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) enrichment activities at its Piketon, OH, facility. Centrus plans to leverage its multi-billion-dollar uranium enrichment expansion to meet its growing backlog of $2.3 billion in contingent LEU sales to U.S. and international customer contracts, and targets future commercial-scale production of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) as well.

A gas centrifuge cascade for the production of HALEU at Centrus’s plant in Piketon, OH. Image: Centrus.

Centrus’ expansion is underpinned by public and private funding along with commercial contracts, a framework that includes:

Department of Energy funding: Centrus is a finalist for Task Orders from the Department of Energy for both LEU production and HALEU production – which the Department has indicated could be ~$900 million per task order.

Private capital: Centrus raised $1.2 billion via convertible note transactions in November 2024 and August 2025, reported a cash balance of more than $1.6 billion as of September 30, 2025, and recently launched a $1 billion at-the-market offering.

Customer contracts: Centrus has secured $2.3 billion in contracts and commitments from U.S. and international customers aimed at supporting new, U.S. uranium enrichment capacity. These agreements are contingent upon Centrus realizing certain milestones towards building the new capacity. Centrus continues to pursue additional LEU and HALEU sales opportunities.

Third party investment: This represents another potential avenue to secure low cost of capital financing while maximizing capacity. Centrus said there is continued, growing interest from the market to secure future enrichment offtake by investing in new enrichment capacity.

Direct foreign investment: Centrus announced a proposed partnership with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and POSCO International in August 2025 to explore potential investment in new enrichment capacity in Ohio. The company continues to pursue efforts in this area with S. Korea and other nations.

National security: Centrus’ AC100M centrifuge is the only U.S.-origin enrichment technology that is deployment – eady to fulfill national security missions – for which a U.S. technology is required. In October, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced its intent to contract with Centrus for LEU enrichment for national security.

The last U.S. owned, large-scale uranium enrichment plant was built in the 1950s and shut down permanently in 2013, leaving America completely dependent upon foreign, state-owned enterprises that now control almost 100% of the world’s uranium enrichment capacity. With demand for nuclear power expected to grow in the coming years – and imports of Russian enriched uranium completely banned starting in 2028 – new domestic, U.S.-owned uranium enrichment capacity is urgently needed and in high demand.

Centrus has begun manufacturing centrifuges to support its uranium enrichment expansion at its centrifuge manufacturing factory in Oak Ridge, TN, relying upon a domestic manufacturing supply chain. Centrus began expanding its manufacturing capacity in Tennessee in late 2024, and has already begun hiring in Tennessee and Ohio to support the project. The first new production capacity is expected to come online in 2029.

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Urenco USA Produces First LEU+ Fuel

(WNN) Urenco has completed the initial production run for low-enriched uranium plus (LEU+) at its Eunice, NM, plant,  LEU+ is uranium enriched to between 5% and 10% U-235. Urenco USA aims to produce commercial quantities for customers by mid-2026.

Urenco USA’s New Capacity: In another milestone in December the company announced that this year’s third new cascade of centrifuges began production of LEU on 12/16/25. The new centrifuge cascades are part of a program to install 700,000 separative work units (SWU) of capacity by 2027 at Urenco USA’s Eunice, NM, uranium enrichment plant.

NRC License to Produce 10% HALEU: Last October Urenco received a permit from the NRC for its Eunice site in New Mexico tos become the first commercial uranium enrichment facility in the US to produce so-called low-enriched uranium plus (LEU+). The company said initial production of LEU+ will begin this year, with the first deliveries to a fuel manufacturer expected in 2026.

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Bulgaria And Poland Companies Set Joint Venture For BWRX-300 SMR

• Work will include site selection, licensing, construction, and ensuring commercial operation

(NucNet) Bulgaria’s Blue Bird Energy and Poland’s Synthos Green Energy (SGE) have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture aimed at building a fleet of up to six BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) in Bulgaria.

SGE, a co-investor in the standard design for the BWRX-300, said in a statement the project will bring Bulgaria zero-emission, affordable, baseload electricity to power industry, support AI and other data centers, and decarbonize district heating.

SGE said to decision to go with the BWRX-300, designed by US company GE Vernova Hitachi (GVH) is due to it being the most commercially advanced SMR on the market today, The first of the 300-MW plants is under construction at the Darlington nuclear power station site in Ontario, Canada. In the U.S. TVA is expected later this decade to break ground to build multiple BWRX300 SMRs at its Clinch River, TN, site.

The statement said the new joint venture will work in Bulgaria to choose and prepare deployment sites, secure site and design licensing, manage construction and project development, coordinate project funding and ensure safe commercial operation.

Blue Bird Energy is a Bulgarian energy company established to secure the deployment of an SMR fleet in Bulgaria. Main shareholders are two of the leading Bulgarian industrial corporations – construction and engineering group Glavbolgarstroy (GBS) and copper mining and processing company Asarel-Medet.

Asarel-Medet operates Bulgaria’s largest open-pit mine near Panagyurishte in the south of the country, and is a significant consumer of electricity and process heat. GBS, founded in 1969, is the largest and most established construction and engineering group in Bulgaria and a major player on the South-Eastern European construction market.

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Turkey Lands $9 billion in Finance from Rosatom for Akkuyu

Turkey’s energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in a press briefing that Russia has provided new financing worth $9 billion for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built by Moscow’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom. In terms of the new financing, Turkey’s energy ministry said that it will most likely be used in 2026-2027. It said the first unit of the four reactor site is expected to be operational in 2026.

Rosatom is building four 1,200 MW VVER PWR type nuclear reactors at Akkuyu near the port of Mersin located in Mersin province on the southeastern Mediterranean coast. The project was started in 2010, but construction has been delayed multiple times due to issues related to  financing, supply chain problems, and the temporary withdrawal of Turkish construction firms from the project. Overall costs have risen since 2010. The completion cost for all four units is now estimated at $25 billion.

The other three units are expected to follow in terms of completion at one-to-two year intervals assuming there are no further disruptions of supply chains, contractors, or other unforseen events. Rosatom claims units 2-4 will start at one year intervals beginning in 2027, but these dates are likely subject to revisions depending on construction progress.

The VVER uses 163 fuel assemblies in the core and has an 18 month refueling cycle. Rosatom will provide the fuel for the four reactors and retrograde spent fuel back to Russia for reprocessing once it is cooled off enough to be transported in dry casks. It is likely that 25% of uranium oxide fuel assemblies in the Akkuyu reactors may be swapped out for MOX fuel assemblies once testing taking place in Russia in 2025 is completed.

Multiple Delays Contribute to Higher Costs

Turbines Impacted by Sanctions – In 2024 Reuters reported that the opening of Turkey’s first nuclear plant was delayed after Germany’s Siemens Energy withheld key turbine parts, prompting Russia’s Rosatom, the builder and owner, to buy them in China. The decision by Siemens likely stems from Western sanctions impacting the Siemans operation in Germany over Russia’s war in Ukraine. A Siemens Energy spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that some parts were not delivered to Turkey due to German export regulations.

According to Turkish news reports, the issue is about the switchgear equipment for the power plant. For a deeper dive into the complex politics of the effects of western sanctions on turbine sales, and related equipment, for the Akkuyu plant, see this 2024 report by nuclear expert Mark Hibbs.

Construction Delays – According to a report by the World Nuclear Association (WNA), Atomstroyexport is general contractor for construction, though Turkish companies are expected to undertake 35-40% of the work.  The construction progress slowed significantly in July 2022 when Rosatom replaced the Turkish subcontractor, IC Içtaş, with Russian contractor TSM Enerji. Two months later, Turkey’s President Erdogan and Russia’s President Putin reached an agreement to resume construction, with IC Içtaş recapturing the deal to continue construction activities.

Finances and Investors – The Akkuyu project is nominally financed at 50% Rosatom and 50% based on a combination of Turkish and international institutional investors. So far Rosatom has been unable to secure outside financing for the four reactors.

Trust between Turkey and Rosatom was affected by events in 2015 Roastom when lost its momentum to build a new 1,200 MW VVER in Finland. The experience in Finland was not a confidence builder for Turkey’s energy ministry.

The reason was it was revealed that a so-called outside investor group was really Russian investors in disguise organized by Rosatom. Additional troubles between Rosatom and Finland’s nuclear safety ministry added to the delays. The ministry said documentation submitted by Rosatom was incomplete and did not meet regulatory requirements.

In 2022 Fennovoima announced its decision to terminate the EPC contract “due to RAOS Project’s significant delays and inability to deliver the project.” There have been significant and growing delays during the last years. The Finnish government also said that The war in Ukraine has worsened the risks for the project and that RAOS has been unable to mitigate any of the risks.

Rates and Profits – In terms of rate guarantees for the electricity produced by the four plants being built in Turkey, according to the WNA, TETAS, the Turkish utility, will buy a fixed proportion of the power at a fixed price of 12.35 ¢/kWh for 15 years. The proportion will be 70% of the output of the first two units and 30% of that from units 3&4 over 15 years going forward from the start of commercial operation of each. The remainder of the power will be sold by the project company on the open market. 

Electricity from the plants will cost rate payers an estimated $0.12.35/kWh which is higher than the cost of electricity from Turkey’s gas fired power plants, which paradoxically run on Russian gas. Once the plant is sold the new owner is obligated to pay 20% of the profits to the Turkish government.

Future Nuclear Plants in Turkey

Turkey has long had plans to build two other nuclear power stations. One would be at Sinop on Turkey’s northern Black Sea coastline. The other would be at Idgeada in Kırklareli province on the Black Sea coast north of Istanbul. A combination of financing issues and internal politics have pushed back decisions to proceed at both sites.

At one time the Sinop project was slated to be built by a French/Japan consortium, but it was cancelled when the Japanese investors pulled out due to rising costs. China has been talking to Turkey about the Idgeada with Turkey since 2016, but has not come to terms with the Turkish government.

The Sinop plant was to have included four 1,100 MW PWRs based on an unproven PWR design jointly developed by EDF and Mitsubishi. The Idgeada site was to have included multiple CAP1400s, which are based on Chinese design adaptations of the four Westinghouse 1,150 MW AP1000s built in China.

Bayraktar said Turkey is now in talks with South Korea, China, Russia and the United States on nuclear projects in the Sinop province and Idgeada, and added Ankara wanted to receive “the most competitive offer.” This is likely a code phrase for which offer will provide the most favorable financing of the project.

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Japan Plans To Restart Unit 6 At Nuclear Station Next Month

(NucNet) Japanese authorities have approved a decision to restart the world’s biggest nuclear power station, which has been offline for more than a decade following the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Owner and operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) will restart Unit 6 at the seven-unit Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant in late January.

The partial restart of the plant got the green light in a vote in December by the Niigata local government. Niigata governor Hanazumi Hideyo said last month he was ready to approve the restart of the facility, in western Japan.

NHK, a Japanese newswire, reported it had been told by “sources” that Unit 6, a 1,315-MW boiling water reactor unit that originally began commercial operation in 1996, would return to service. Fuel loading at Unit 6 was completed in June.

Kashiwazaki Kariwa is the world’s largest nuclear power station by capacity. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, its seven boiling water reactor units have a combined net capacity of 7,965 MW. The facility served as an important energy source to supply electricity to the Tokyo metropolitan area before the 2011 earthquake and nuclear accident at Fukushima-Daiichi.

Tepco wants to bring the station back online and said in 2020 it was concentrating its resources on restarting the newer Units 6 and 7. However, in September, Tepco said it was planning to remove fuel from Unit 7 due to delays in the reactor’s restart.

The Tokyo-based industry group Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) reported at the time that Unit 7 would remain in a cold shutdown state because construction of special safety and security facilities required after the Fukushima disaster will not be completed by the October 2025 deadline.

Status of Reactor Restarts in Japan

Japan has 33 commercially available units, 14 of which have resumed operation under stringent post-Fukushima rules. Restarts face high regulatory hurdles and need local government support.

The 14 that have restarted are: Onagawa-2 (Tohoku Electric Power), Shimane-2 (Chugoku Electric Power), Mihama-3, Takahama-1, -2, -3, -4, and Ohi-3, -4 (Kansai Electric Power), Ikata-3 (Shikoku Electric Power), Genkai-3, -4, and Sendai-1 -2 (Kyushu Electric Power).

Before the 2011 Fukushima disaster Japan’s fleet of 54 nuclear plants generated about 30% of the country’s electricity, but were all shut down for safety checks following the accident.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the figure for 2023, was 5.5%, but the government want to see this climb to 20%. Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi has said she will push for the accelerated revival of nuclear power with reactor restarts key to reducing costly fuel imports.

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China Begins Work on Two More Nuclear Power Plants

• Country now building 35 units, putting it significantly ahead of any other nation

(NucNet) China has announced that first concrete has been poured, marking the official start of construction for new commercial nuclear power plants at Guangxi Bailong and Lufeng, both in the south of the country.

The China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said first concrete was poured on 12/22/25 for Unit 1 of the Guangxi Bailong nuclear power station, also known as Bailong, in the autonomous region of Guangxi. CNEA also said the pouring of first concrete was also completed on 12/22/25 for Unit 2 at Lufeng in Guangdong province.

A total of six reactors are planned to operate at the Guangxi Bailong site. Units 1 and 2 are both CAP1000 pressurized waters reactor (PWR) units and units 3 to 6 are planned to be CAP1400 PWR plants. The CAP1000 is China’s indigenous version of the Westinghouse AP1000 PWR nuclear plant. The CAP1400 is an uprated version of the 1,150 MW AP1000s previously built in China.

The Guangxi Bailong nuclear station is about 24 km from the border with Vietnam and about 30 km from the Fangchenggang nuclear power station, where four units began commercial operation from 2016 to 2024.

China’s state media has said the first two units at Guangxi Bailong will cost about $5.6 billion and are expected to take 56 months to complete.

The Lufeng project is planned to have six units, four of which have been approved. Construction of Units 5 and 6, both HPR1000, or Hualong One PWR plants, began on 09/08/25 and 08/26/25. Construction of Units 1 and 2 was approved by the state on 08/19/24 with construction of Unit 1 beginning on 02/24/25. CNEA said. Both of these units will be CAP1000 reactors.

Neither Guangxi Bailong or Lufeng are listed in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s database of nuclear plants in China. The database says China has 58 plants in commercial operation and 28 under construction.

However, construction has begun of another seven units that are not listed by the IAEA, including Guangxi Bailong and Lufeng, bringing the number to 35.

This puts China significantly ahead of any other country in reactor construction. According to the IAEA, India is second with six plants under construction and Russia third with five.

The Guangxi Bailong nuclear power station is owned by State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) through its subsidiary Guangxi Nuclear Power Company. Lufeng is owned by China General Nuclear subsidiary CGN Lufeng Nuclear Power Co Ltd.

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TAE, UKAEA Create Joint Venture for Fusion Energy

(WNN) TAE and the UK Atomic Energy Agency (UKAEA) have created a new joint venture, ma,ed TAE Beam UK. It will be a collaborative entity that will harness the partners’ collective scientific leadership, commercialization experience and market innovation to develop an advanced particle accelerator technology, beginning with neutral beams for fusion.

The venture aims to design, develop, and ultimately manufacture and service neutral beams for a wide range of fusion approaches, as well as adapt the accelerator technology for state-of-the-art cancer therapeutics, and other applications like food safety and homeland security.

TAE’s approach to fusion combines advanced accelerator and plasma physics, and uses abundant, non-radioactive hydrogen-boron (p-B11) as a fuel source. The proprietary magnetic beam-driven field-reversed configuration (FRC) technology injects high-energy hydrogen atoms into the plasma to make the system more stable and better confined. This solution is compact and energy efficient.

For a fusion machine to produce electricity, it must keep plasma steadily confined at fusion-relevant conditions. On TAE’s current fusion machine, eight powerful neutral beams are placed at precise angles to meet those requirements.

Inside each neutral beam canister, protons are accelerated and then combined with electrons to create a stream of neutral, high-energy hydrogen atoms (the ‘neutral beam’). Because the particles have no charge, they can bypass the fusion reactor’s magnetic field to provide heating, current drive and plasma stability.

TAE is the first to use neutral beams for both FRC plasma formation and high-quality plasma sustainment – resulting in a streamlined design that is smaller, more efficient and more cost-effective.

The same accelerator technology that produced TAE’s sophisticated neutral beam system for fusion has also been adapted for TAE’s medical technology subsidiary, TAE Life Sciences, to provide a non-invasive, targeted treatment for complex and often inoperable cancers.

The new TAE Beam UK joint venture will operate out of UKAEA’s Culham Campus, in Oxfordshire, UK. UKAEA – which carries out fusion energy research on behalf of the UK government – plans to make an equity investment of $7.4 million in this new venture. TAE Beam UK is supported by TAE’s own nine-figure investment in the technology due to TAE’s own usage requirements over the next several years. The project aims to deliver the first short-pulse beams within 18-24 months of the start of work.

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The Fusion Energy Report polished its crystal ball this week and offered a list of ten possible, and perhaps plausible, developments for the fusion energy industry. Like all such prognostications, your mileage may vary in terms of how they turn out. 

While there are both major questions and minor quibbles about these predictions, all of them have essential cores of truth even if some have more expansive visions of early success for fusion firms than may be justified by current conditions.

The key challenge for all fusion development efforts is that none of the 53 firms pursuing fusion energy in the U.S. have been able to get more energy out of their prototype machines than they put into it on a sustained basis.

Like fission plants, the objective is to generate power on a reliable basis 24X7 for at least 60 years. The question is whether or how many of today’s competitors will cross that finish line with a design that can be built for customers to operate at a profit?

“I’m from Missouri” Skepticism

Here is a brief summary of the ten forecasts along with some “I’m from Missouri: skepticism. The predictions are highlighted in italics. The comments that follow can are in the “show me” class that asks for verification of claims.

The Fusion Report’s predictions are an interesting read. However, we are all reminded that history is the future that hasn’t happened yet. There may be surprises in store that will validate some of these views of the future or which will create new circumstances that change the trajectory of some firms or the entire fusion industry. It will take only one firm to crack the code of replicating on earth the power of a star in a bottle to send the others scrambling to catch up.

Government and Geopolitics – The US government is expected to act as a major player by allocating significant funding potentially following a $10 billion recommendation through a sovereign fund model that requires equity stakes and collects royalties on licensed national lab technology.

This prediction has a short shelf life due to the fact that most of the intellectual property being developed in the fusion world is privately held by the 53 firms racing to be the first to achieve net energy. Also, national laboratories license technologies developed in their facilites on a non-exclusive basis due to their use of federal government funds as the basis for their operations.

Collecting royalties from licensing intellectual property isn’t the purpose of national laboratories. Their role is to take on the R&D risks that the private sector can’t or won’t pursue. In the case of fusion, the national labs can and should partner with fusion firms to solve intractable technical issues, but the boundary on the ‘S’ curve of evolving technology maturity puts them on the lower half of the space. Commercial development and profits live at the top end.

While the Department of Energy has successfully rolled out cost sharing programs under its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Programs (ARDP), the initial set of program milestones for success were undone, in part, by the scarcity of HALEU fuel and by the fact that deploying new fission reactor designs always takes longer. Full stop.

The U.S. does not have a sovereign wealth fund like Norway or Saudi Arabia with money to spare based on global crude oil sales. Funding the double digit billions needed to produce commercial plants will require hard headed thinking by Congress and cost-shared public / private partnerships. Fusion firms are unlikely to put sharing equity with Uncle Sam as a priority ahead of raising new capital from private sector investors. The government, with its strict procurement rules, isn’t known for its skills in deal making or setting and meeting performance milestones.

China’s Acceleration: China is predicted to “triple down” on fusion, using its ability to dictate resource allocation and bypass Western regulatory hurdles to compete for strategic dominance.

There is little doubt that China is in a leading role globally when it comes to fusion developments due to the command and control nature of its economy and investment decision making for energy technologies. In a range of 1 to 10 in terms of being correct, it scores a “10” on both counts.” A quibble here is that China doesn’t care about western regulatory hurdles since it hasn’t positioned, as yet, any of its fusion power projects for export.

Regulatory & Federal Support: New leadership and executive orders are expected to drive programs that allow for early fusion machine testing on federal properties to accelerate time-to-market.

Part of this prediction is interesting as it would mimic the Department of Energy’s plans to test small modular reactors and microreactors (fission not fusion) at national laboratories and military installations. However, testing fusion devices at federal facilities doesn’t change the need for NRC licensing.

The NRC is developing a regulatory program for fusion energy that is distinctly different than for fission. Two years ago the agency kicked off the process with three alternatives for regulating fusion plants. 

The “Advance Act’ signed into law in 2024 supports the agency’s decision to use more-relaxed licensing requirements for near-term fusion systems compared to fission systems.  It isn’t clear why an additional executive order on this policy issue would be needed when the agency has already responded to the congressional mandate.

The Fusion Industry Association (FIA) has asked the federal government for $10 billion in new funding to support fusion energy. Given the waves of private investment that have already come through for the fusion industry, more than $9 billion, Congress may wonder why the FIA has its hand out for more on behalf of its members?

Market Dynamics and Investment: Public Markets & SPACs: Following TAE’s lead, up to five fusion companies may go public in 2026 using SPACs and other vehicles to generate the capital required for high talent and development costs.

SPACs have had a mixed result so far in the fission world, and in the case of NuScale, led to it being vulnerable to short sellers seeking fast profits. X-Energy had a short-lived SPAC which it closed after watching the damage this investment vehicle did to NuScale’s prospects. Oklo is the only developer of an advanced reactor so far that has succeeded by going public. Despite having no revenue, its stock has soared based on investor interest in its potential future success.

TAE’s lash up with TMTG may push other leading fusion firms to consider going public sooner than they planned due to investment scenarios that don’t include giving up equity at this stage to raise funds for future development.

Increased Private Investment: Total private investment is expected to ramp with tech giants and hyperscalers increasing their stakes as progress becomes more evident. 

Commonwealth, Helion, and TAE have formed strategic partnerships respectively with Google, Microsoft, and TMTG.  This prediction is supported by actions from the big Internet platforms that have already taken place.

• Google focusing on CFS. CFS expects to begin operations of its SPARC prototype in 2026, which will prove the high-temperature superconducting magnets needed for commercial-scale plants.
• Executing the world’s first fusion Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Helion broke ground on its Orion plant in 2025 and claims it will begin delivering carbon-free energy to Microsoft by 2028.
• A $6 billion merger with TAE and TMTG is specifically linked fusion to “AI supremacy” and digital sovereignty. The combined company plans to begin siting a 50 MWe utility-scale power plant by the end of 2026. TMTG’s cash commitment to invest in fusion, $300 million, depends on the shifting fortunes of the crypto currency world.

Corporate M&A: Major industrial players like GE Vernova, Hitachi, Siemens, and Schneider are expected to move from minority investments to full acquisitions to build out their fusion product portfolios.

It’s unclear whether these supply chain firms, which are part of the supply chains for fusion and fission firms, would buy any of the 53 fusion firms. More likely, they would, as big fish, swallow smaller fish with specialized product lines to bulk up their technical capabilities.

A better take is the next prediction which says well-funded companies (those with over $1 billion, such as CFS, TAE, and Helion) will likely acquire smaller supply chain players to achieve vertical integration. They may also buy out some of the smaller fusion fish that have interesting technologies but which lack the financial horsepower to move them ahead.

Consolidation & Integration: The industry will likely see a wave of mergers and acquisitions among companies with similar designs to aggregate talent and scale resources.

This prediction is 100% right. With 53 firms competing just in the U.S. for fusion market share, and just three of them having raised more than $1 billion, that leaves quite a few out in the cold. Tech Crunch just this week published a list of ten more firms that have raised more than $100 million. This leaves the 40 other firms scrambling to get beyond their initial rounds of investment. Take this prediction together with the previous one on ‘Corporate M&A’ for both of them being on target.

Pivot to Derivatives: Many fusion companies may find more success as “component players” rather than “platform players,” pivoting to sell derivative products like specialized magnets, vessels, and power systems.

Having some revenue is better than none at all. On the other hand, these moves will put companies that develop side hustles to keep the wolf from the door in a position in which they may find themselves butting heads with firms in their own supply chains.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): By the end of 2026, major tech giants are expected to sign PPAs to pre-buy fusion power as a core baseload strategy for new data center campuses in regions like the Pacific Northwest or Northern Virginia.

Yes, reserving a seat at the table to get ahead of late comers to the industry makes sense, but no one ever earned cash from a non-binding MOU. The conventional wisdom is that fusion energy plants will achieve commercial development milestones in the mid-to-late 2030s. The UK Atomic Energy Agency (UKAEA) has a more conservative perspective targeting 2040 for the first commercial fusion plant. It could  be a while before the MOUs become final investment decisions.

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• Top 25 Topics Searched on Google About Nuclear Energy in the U.S. and Globally
• A Few Observations About the Facts in Search Results and What’s Up for 2026?

Neutron Bytes was curious about what people asked Google about nuclear energy in 2025 and what Google’s artificial Intelligence (AI) platform GEMINI could come up with about the most significant events/trends for nuclear energy in 2025 and possible developments in 2026. (Image: Google Gemini)

The information that follows is based on a series of iterative prompts sent to Google’s GEMINI AI platform.

These data reports, and related text, are about searches by people in the U.S., and across the planet, using Google and do not necessarily serve, de facto, as rankings of the importance of these issues to the industry.

Some Facts are not What They Seem

Public excitements and alarms about the nuclear industry are the stuff of public relations, political persuasion, as well as all American snake oil, and often diverge significantly, and sometimes in a spectacular manner, from technical reality on the ground for a nuclear plant or event. This caution flag applies to how much readers should rely on Google search results. Google isn’t responsible for the data and the fact the data appear in a search result does not make it so.

The circus ring master P.T. Barum reportedly once said, in relation to attracting paying audiences to visit the fantastic and implausible exhibits on his midway, “there’s a sucker born ever minute.” In his famous story, “The Wizard of OZ,” L. Frank Baum is believed to have modeled his character of the wizard after the public image of P.T. Barum.

The story line itself is believed to have been lifted by Baum and adapted by him from a 12th century poem “The Conference of the Birds” by an Iranian Sufi poet Attar of Nishapur. In short, not everything as it appears to be is true and many “facts” actually have shifting sands as their foundations.

In other words, as far as suckers are concerned, P. T. Barum knew that most people in his era were easily amazed by anything out of the ordinary or which offered a big prize for very little effort.

In the 21st century all kinds of technologies provide us with lots of shiny objects some of which offer a promise of spectacular financial results from investments offered by any developer with access to a stock exchange.

What people search for on Google often can sometimes represent a quest for a “Barum result,” e.g., which is anything that offers a big prize for very little apparent effort. The bottom line is that Google search results are often interesting, but don’t bet the ranch on them without taking a sharp look at the facts.

Beenfits of Using Google Search Results about Nuclear Energy

The nuclear industry can benefit from these reports about Google search results in setting priorities how they communicate with the public and to be alert for topics that are top of mind for the public as represented by these data.

Investors can use Google search results to conduct due diligence on emerging technology firms, fission and fusion, to look before they leap and write a check. It pays to ask the question about an offer, “who else besides you thinks this is a good idea?”

Recent graduates from engineering programs can check out which startups offer a combination of really interesting work and a steady paycheck.

The news media can use them to assess the veracity of audacious claims by some firms, and also check the credentials of the management team. Google searches, with AI assistance as appropriate, can be an important tool for giving new life to the paradigm of “trust but verify.”

As as caveat Neutron Bytes offers these reports about Google search results related to nuclear energy as interesting information only, as well as food for thought, and not as definitive analyses performed by humans of the condition of the industry nor of firms doing business in it or with it.

Access to Data Files – In addition to the summary listings there are links in this post to the AI generated spreadsheets generated by prompts from Neutron Bytes. The files are accessible to anyone with the link. Please credit Google GEMINI as the source of the data and the text in the text and tables below.

Key 2025 Search Trends Analyzed by Google

The “Big Tech” Pivot: Nearly 40% of the top searches were directly tied to Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon securing nuclear power for their AI infrastructure.

Restarts vs. New Builds: In 2025, the public was more interested in restarting old plants (Three Mile Island, Palisades, Duane Arnold) than in traditional large-scale new construction, due to the faster timeline for support of power to data centers.

Advanced Fuel: “HALEU” moved from a niche technical term to a top-20 search topic as investors and policymakers realized the lack of it is the primary bottleneck for the next generation of reactors.

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Benefits of New Federal Laws for Nuclear Reactor Developers – Google AI Analysis

Prompt: How Did New 2025 Federal Laws Benefit Nuclear Reactor Developers in 2025?

1. The “18-Month” Licensing Mandate (EO 14300)

This is the biggest win for Kairos and X-energy. Previously, the NRC review process was a 4-to-7-year “black hole.” Under the May 2025 Executive Orders, the NRC is mandated to reach a final decision within 18 months.

Impact: This aligns reactor construction timelines with the speed of data center builds (typically 2–3 years), allowing tech companies to sync their power needs with their hardware deployments.

2. Microreactor Streamlining (ADVANCE Act Sec. 208)

Oklo is the primary beneficiary here. Because their “Aurora” powerhouse is significantly smaller than a traditional reactor, the law forces the NRC to stop treating them like a large-scale power plant.

Impact: It creates a “tech-inclusive” framework that allows Oklo to deploy units on-site at data centers or military bases (like Eielson AFB) without the massive exclusion zones required for larger plants.

3. The HALEU Fuel Pilot Program

Advanced reactors (X-energy, TerraPower, Oklo) cannot run on standard nuclear fuel; they need HALEU.

Impact: In 2025, the DOE fast-tracked fuel fabrication licenses for X-energy (TRISO-X) and Oklo. This action is aimed at breaking the Russian monopoly on this specific fuel type and ensures these companies have a domestic supply of nuclear fuel ready by their 2028-2030 launch dates.

4. National Security Deployment (EO 14299)

This order allows the DOD to conduct its own reactor design reviews that are “presumptively binding” on the NRC.

Impact: This creates a “fast lane” for companies like Radiant and BWXT who are building reactors for the military. It bypasses much of the standard civilian regulatory friction by classifying the power source as a national security asset.

5. The “Tech-to-Nuclear” Pipeline

In 2025, we saw the emergence of the “Master Power Agreement”—a new financial model enabled by these laws.

The Model: Google or Amazon provides the “off-take agreement” (guaranteed purchase), the federal government provides the “regulatory fast-track,” and the SMR company provides the technology.

The Result: This trio solved the “Chicken and Egg” problem of nuclear: nobody wanted to build because it took too long, and nobody wanted to license because there was no buyer.

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Google Trends
Top Searches for the Global Nuclear Industry in 2025

• The “AI Effect“: In late 2025, search volume for “baseload power” and “uranium” spiked specifically in connection with data center expansion.

• China’s Dominance: China continues to be the most searched region for “new construction,” with the ACP100 (Linglong One), a small modular reactgor, being the most searched specific reactor design.

• Eastern Europe Rising: Poland and the Czech Republic have become high-interest “newcomer” hubs as they move from planning to execution phases.

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Looking Ahead –
What’s Up for 2026 for the Nuclear Energy Industry?

Based on the rapid shifts in policy and technology seen throughout 2025, the year 2026 is shaping up to be a “year of firsts” for the nuclear energy sector. The following four areas are expected to dominate the conversation:

1. The “First-of-a-Kind” (FOAK) Deployment Race

After years of planning, 2026 will be the year theoretical designs finally become steel and concrete in the ground and which will result in electrons on the grid:

• China’s Linglong One: Scheduled to begin commercial operations in early 2026, it is poised to become the world’s first commercial onshore small modular reactor (SMR). This will be a major benchmark for global cost and safety standards.
  
• Project Pele: The U.S. Department of Defense’s mobile microreactor is slated for demonstration in 2026 at Idaho National Laboratory. TRISO fuel for the reactor fabricated by BWXT was delivered to the Idaho site in December 2025. This “nuclear battery” on a truck could revolutionize energy for remote military and disaster relief sites.
  
• Palisades Restart: In Michigan, the Palisades nuclear plant is targeting a restart in 2026. The Department of Energy loaned Holtec $1.6 billion to restart the plant. If successful, it would be the first decommissioned reactor in U.S. history to return to active service.
  
• Other Reactor Restarts: Palisades is being followed by work on restarts of the Crane Clean Energy reactor in Pennsylvania and Duane Arnold in Iowa. Microsoft has inked a 20-year PPA with the Crane Center. Google has a PPA with Duane Arnold. Both AI related firms are in effect, locking in future capacity before commercial demand soars. Holtec has PPAs with Michgan utilities but they are not driven by AI data center demand for electricity.

2. The AI-Nuclear Marriage

Big Tech’s demand for “firm” (24/7) carbon-free power to fuel data centers will reach a fever pitch. In 2026, expect to see:

• Construction Starts: Companies like X-energy and Oklo are expected to break ground on facilities specifically designed to power industrial plants and data hubs. X-Energy is slated to build four 80 MW HTGRs to provide heat and power at a Dow chemical plant in Texas. Oklo is slated to build its FOAK at the INL. An addition to these two firms, two more are maturing developments in advanced reactors. They include TerraPower’s Natrium sodium cooled design and Kairos with a molten salt reactor design.
  
• Fusion Milestones: Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is aiming to produce its “first plasma” in 2026. While commercial power is still years away, the involvement of tech giants like Google and Microsoft as partners will keep fusion in the headlines as a long-term AI power solution. Both firms have inked power purchase agreements with fusion developers. Google’s PPA is with Commonwealth. Microsoft’s is with Helion.

3. Supply Chain “Picks and Shovels”

2025 highlighted a critical shortage of fuel and specialized parts. In 2026, the focus will shift from building reactors to fueling them:

• HALEU Production: High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) is the “gasoline” for many next-gen reactors. 2026 will see the results of massive 2025 government investments to move reactor fuel supply chains away from Russia and toward domestic sources e.g., Urenco, Centrus, and Orano.
  
• Uranium Mining Boom: Exploration drilling in regions like Canada’s Athabasca Basin and the U.S. Southwest will intensify in 2026 to close the widening supply gap. Some hard rock mines will reopen. The earliest restarts wil be in-situ recovery operations.

4. Policy and Global Geopolitics

• The “15 Reactor” Threshold: Analysts (including BloombergNEF) predict roughly 15 new reactors will come online globally in 2026, adding 12GW of capacity.
  
• Financing Shifts: The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other international lenders are expected to establish new pathways for nuclear financing in 2026, potentially opening the door for developing nations to adopt SMR technology.
  
• Rosatom’s Global Progress: Bolstered by a $9 billion financing deal in late 2025, Turkey’s first nuclear plant, being built by Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy export ministry, will see massive construction acceleration throughout 2026. A similar set of four 1,200 MW Russian built VVER are under construction in Turkey. Rostom has commissioned twin 1,000 MW VVER at India’s Kudankulam site and plans to build two more there.
  
• India Opens the Door: After years of locking out foreign direct investment and new reactor builds from western firms for its nuclear energy sector, in December, India’s parliament passed legislation that set aside its draconian supplier liability law and also authorized private sector investments in new nuclear plants.

Top Ranked Google Trends (Searches) 2025
in the U.S. for Nuclear Energy

Rank    Topic     Full Spreadsheet for this List 

1    Three Mile Island Restart
2    Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
3    Google Nuclear Deal
4    AI Data Center Energy Demand
5    Oklo Inc (OKLO)
6    Palisades Nuclear Plant
7    NuScale Power (SMR)
8    Uranium Prices / Spot Price
9    NextEra Duane Arnold Restart
10    Nuclear Energy Stocks
11    High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU)
12    Vogtle Unit 4
13    Nuclear Fusion News
14    Bill Gates TerraPower
15    Nuclear Waste Management 2025
16    Centrus Energy (LEU)
17    Nuclear Tax Credits (IRA / Trump Admin)
18    Amazon X-energy Deal
19    Thorium Reactors
20    NRC Licensing Process
21    Molten Salt Reactors (MSR)
22    Diablo Canyon Extension
23    Uranium ETFs
24    Micro-reactors for Remote Sites
25    Nuclear Workforce Jobs

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Top 25 Search Terms on Google ( Searches)
for the Global Commercial Nuclear Energy Industry in 2025

Note to Readers – the full spreadsheet includes Google’s identification of the context of the ranking, e.g., what were the drivers of user searches. Full Spreadsheet of Top 25 Global Trends

Rank    Topic

1    Small Modular Reactors (SMR)
2    China Nuclear Expansion
3    AI Data Center Energy
4    Uranium Spot Price
5    Rosatom Global Projects
6    France “Nouveau Nucléaire”
7    Czech Dukovany Contract
8    Hualong One (HPR1000)
9    Canada SMR Projects
10    Nuclear Fusion Progress
11    Floating Nuclear Power
12    Poland Nuclear Program
13    South Korea Energy Export
14    Chernobyl Safety / Drone News
15    Uranium Mining Stocks
16    Nuclear Desalination
17    Sizewell C Investment
18    Net Zero 2050 Strategy
19    Nuclear Waste Management
20    Bangladesh Rooppur Plant
21    High-Assay LEU (HALEU)
22    Hydrogen Production (Nuclear)
23    Molten Salt Reactors (MSR)
24    Ukraine Zaporizhzhia Safety
25    Nuclear-Powered Shipping

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