Nuclear

  • A First for Military Nuclear Power: TRISO Fuel Arrives at Project Pele

    Project Pele, the Department of War’s (DOW’s) first-of-its-kind transportable nuclear microreactor prototype, has received its tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), where formal system testing is slated to begin as early as 2027. The fuel—manufactured by BWXT Technologies (BWXT) and shipped from its Lynchburg, Virginia, facility—represents the first TRISO microreactor fuel […]

  • INL Taps AWS, GE Vernova, Oil Majors for First MARVEL Microreactor Experiments

    Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has selected the five commercial teams that will potentially demonstrate advanced applications—including data center integration—at its much-watched Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) platform, an 85-kWth/20-kWe liquid-metal-cooled test bed currently under construction at the lab. The initial selections, unveiled on Dec. 4, mark the “first potential end users for MARVEL,” […]

  • Framatome Selected to Deliver Critical Digital Control Upgrades at Columbia Generating Station

    Framatome said it has been awarded a contract to upgrade several digital control systems at Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station. The scope of the project includes system design, engineering, manufacturing, testing and installation for new digital feedwater level control and feedwater heater vents and drains systems. The upgrades announced December 4 are part of Energy […]

  • Antares Raises $96 Million in Series B Funding to Accelerate Nuclear Microreactor Development

    Antares, an advanced nuclear energy startup, announced the close of its $96-million Series B funding round, which was led by Shine Capital with participation from Alt Capital, Caffeinated, FiftyThree Stations, Industrious, and other investors.

  • DOE Selects TVA, Holtec to Receive $800 Million to Advance SMR Deployment

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said the agency has selected the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Holtec Government Services to support early deployments of advanced light-water small modular reactors (SMRs) in the U.S. The DOE on December 2 said project teams with the two groups will receive up to $800 million in “federal cost-shared funding” targeted for projects in Tennessee and Michigan.

  • Data Centers and the Grid: Key Insights from POWER’s Inaugural Data Center POWER eXchange Summit

    POWER breaks down the top insights from Data Center POWER eXchange, its unique one-day summit curated by POWER’s editorial team and convened to examine the collision between accelerating data center load and tightening grid constraints.  The rise of artificial intelligence is poised to create the fastest, largest, and most concentrated surge of electricity demand in […]

  • China’s Molten Salt Reactor Reaches Thorium-Uranium Conversion Milestone

    China’s Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in November reported it had achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion inside an operating molten salt reactor (MSR). The milestone provides the first

  • Flamanville 3: Europe’s Hard-Won Nuclear Milestone

    Flamanville 3 synchronized to the French grid in December 2024 after a prolonged, hard-fought build—an achievement that reflects years of technical recovery, regulatory rigor, and lessons now shaping

  • On the Steam Side of Nuclear Energy

    Siemens Energy develops conventional islands for small modular reactors. When Rolls-Royce SMR began developing its small modular reactor (SMR)—using a unique factory-built approach to proven pressurized

  • Shimane 2 Highlights Progress in Japan’s Nuclear Restart Program

    The Unit 2 reactor at the Shimane nuclear power station resumed operation in January 2025, more than a decade after it, and all other reactors in Japan, were taken offline. Japanese officials want restarted nuclear units to help supply needed power and lower the cost of energy across the country.

  • POWER DIGEST [December 2025]

    Framatome has been selected by Electrabel, part of ENGIE Group, to modernize the rod control system of the Tihange 3 nuclear reactor in Belgium.

  • Delivering Nuclear Energy: Promise vs. Regulatory Reality

    In the race to decarbonize and secure America’s energy future, nuclear power is once again in the spotlight. From advanced reactors to fusion breakthroughs, the promise of nuclear energy is clear.

  • UK Confirms Wylfa as Launch Site for First Nuclear SMR Fleet

    The UK has confirmed that Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, will host three Rolls-Royce small modular reactors (SMRs) that could deliver first power in the mid-2030s—launching a state-backed, fleet-based nuclear deployment through publicly owned entity Great British Energy–Nuclear (GBE-N). The UK government has framed the SMR project, which is underpinned by more […]

  • The POWER Interview: Ensuring Successful Power Plant Decommissioning

    Keith Kotimko is the U.S. Decommissioning and Demolition Leader for WSP, a full-service solution provider that offers comprehensive facility decommissioning and demolition services. Kotimko provided POWER with insight into the process of permanently shutting down a power generation facility. He emphasized that decommissioning is a separate activity from demolition.

  • Power Play: Takeaways from Westinghouse, Google AI Partnership

    Westinghouse has partnered with Google Cloud to develop a custom AI-powered platform using specialized models from both Google and Westinghouse—itself a leader in AI for energy production—that helps optimize and accelerate reactor construction.

  • Research Group: U.S. Exits Coal by 2040 as Solar, Nuclear, Natural Gas Surge

    An energy research group said U.S. power generation capacity will be led by solar power in the short term, natural gas in the mid term, and nuclear power in the long term as coal-fired units continue to be retired.

  • Procuring Power: Experts Discuss Contract Complexities

    Securing a reliable supply of electricity requires plenty of research to balance the risks and rewards of striking a deal.

  • Successfully Closing a Power Plant? It’s All in the Details

    The retirement of older thermal power generation facilities, driven by a transition to cleaner forms of energy, has increased in recent years as utilities and other power generators mothball plants that are uneconomic or simply no longer needed.

  • Nuclear, Natural Gas Power Generation Planned for Massive New Mexico Data Center Site

    A Texas-based developer and operator of next-generation digital infrastructure and integrated power assets announced it has entered into a land option purchase agreement for a site in New Mexico that would feature a vast data center center campus. The plan announced November 6 calls for more than 2 GW of natural gas-fired generation capacity, and 5 GW or more of nuclear power, to energize the 3,500-acre site.

  • Boost Profits & Reliability by Migrating and Integrating Critical Process Data

    Sponsored by:
    dataPARC

    Process manufacturers and power producers are feeling the pressure of tight margins and increasing economic uncertainty. The data tools that engineers and plant operators have relied on for years are rapidly evolving, prompting many to consider how and when to migrate to a new data management platform that enables a more efficient and seamless integration […]

  • Wedge Kammprofile Gasket Critical to Complete Turnaround in October 2021

    In this case study, Lamons helped a Montana refinery overcome a critical flange misalignment issue during the final stages of an FCC unit turnaround. Traditional methods and standard gaskets failed to resolve the problem, threatening costly delays and safety risks. Leveraging our engineering expertise and rapid response capabilities, Lamons designed and delivered a custom wedge […]

  • Westinghouse Enters Partnership for $80 Billion of New Nuclear Reactors

    Westinghouse Electric Co. has joined with Canada-based Cameco Corp. and Brookfield Asset Management in a partnership that would advance deployment of nuclear power technology across the U.S. The groups on October 28 said at least $80 billion of new reactors, primarily AP1000 units from Westinghouse, would be built at the behest of the U.S. government.

  • Fusion Energy Group Hits Construction Milestone at Massachusetts Campus

    A key component of a system that would deliver fusion energy in the U.S. has arrived at Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ (CFS) campus in Devens, Massachusetts. The company on October 28 said the first half of the vacuum vessel at the heart of SPARC, the group’s tokamak machine, is now on-site.

  • Google Has Deal with NextEra to Restart Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant

    NextEra Energy said technology giant Google has signed a 25-year deal to buy power from the utility’s Duane Arnold nuclear power plant, which the Florida-based energy provider wants to restart.

  • Curtiss-Wright Awarded $2.9M Contract to Modernize Recirculating Feed Water Control Systems for Commercial Nuclear Power Plant in Japan

    Curtiss-Wright on October 27 announced it has been awarded a $2.9 million contract by a commercial nuclear power facility in Japan to modernize the plant’s Recirculating Feed Water Control (RFC) systems. Curtiss-Wright will work with the nuclear facility to replace its legacy actuator and hydraulic power unit assemblies. Work on this contract is scheduled for […]

  • Amazon Unveils ‘Cascade’—Energy Northwest’s Xe-100 SMR Project, Targeting Construction by 2030

    Amazon has unveiled detailed plans and renderings for the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, an initial 320-MW small modular reactor (SMR) complex that will serve as the first major project in its broader 5-GW nuclear partnership with advanced reactor developer X-energy, announced last year. The project will be owned, built, and operated by Energy Northwest just […]

  • Nuclear: The Cornerstone of Security and Sovereignty

    From France’s legacy to America’s momentum, experts warn that without decisive leadership, China and Russia will dominate the nuclear-AI economy. Nuclear energy has moved from being a quiet constant to the centerpiece of a global race. Nations increasingly recognize that sovereignty—economic, technological, and cultural—depends on securing clean, stable, and independent sources of power. COMMENTARY Myrto […]

  • State Leaders Work to Advance U.S. Nuclear Energy Projects

    Governors from 11 states, working through the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), have launched the Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative to propel a more standardized, scalable approach to deliver advanced nuclear power capacity rapidly, safely and cost-effectively to ensure consumers and businesses across the U.S. have reliable and affordable electricity. The 11 states […]

  • GE Vernova Group, Samsung C&T Form Alliance to Advance BWRX-300 SMR

    GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) and Samsung C&T, a leading construction and engineering company, announced a strategic alliance to advance deployment of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) in strategic global markets outside of North America. The two companies on October 7 said they will focus their collective efforts on developing the supply chain […]

  • Continuing Innovation: The Second Century of Russia’s VVER Nuclear Technology

    The VVER (water-water energetic reactor) technology was born during the time of the Soviet Union. In its main features (light water under pressure as coolant, low-enriched uranium fuel, two-circuit design), it coincided with the Western PWR) pressurized water reactor) technology, but it was not an exact copy. At best, VVER and PWR can be called […]