Nuclear

  • Google Will Fund Three Nuclear Projects with Elementl Power

    A nuclear power project developer said it has a deal with Google, with the technology company agreeing to commit funding for at least three projects that each would have 600 MW of generation capacity. Elementl Power, founded in 2022 and based in Greer, South Carolina, on May 7 said Google would help the company move toward its goal of bringing more than 10 GW of nuclear power capacity online by 2035.

  • The Next Five Years Will Define U.S. Nuclear’s Fate

    The U.S. stands at a critical juncture. We’re experiencing electric load growth for the first time in decades, as fierce global competition reshapes the energy landscape. Nuclear power, both the resurgence of fission and the promise of fusion, could secure our energy future and position the U.S. as the global leader in energy technology for […]

  • Groups Collaborate on Projects for Fusion Energy in Germany

    Government officials in Germany are supporting development of a nuclear fusion pilot plant. Officials have said they want nuclear fusion to be a priority of the country’s energy agenda, barely two years after the country decommissioned its last three operating nuclear power plants in April 2023 at the direction of then-chancellor Angela Merkel.

  • Alberta’s Deregulated Grid Is Bracing for 11 GW of New Demand

    While Alberta’s historical energy legacy has been defined by coal and crude oil, the Canadian province has embraced renewables and carbon capture over the past two decades, and is now exploring small modular

  • POWER Digest [May 2025]

    Major German BESS Project Closes Financing. Energy transition bank NORD/LB announced it has closed an €87 million ($94 million) financing package with Nofar Energy for construction of a 104.5-MW/209-MWh

  • What Trump’s First 100 Days Have Meant to the Power Industry

    U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into office for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025. That means April 30 marks his 100th day back in office. A lot has happened during that relatively short period of time (Figure 1). The Trump administration has implemented sweeping changes to U.S. energy policy, primarily focused on promoting […]

  • U.S. Coal Production Continues Steady Decline as Generation Capacity Falls

    U.S. production of coal has continued to decline since peaking in 2008, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The EIA–on the same day earlier this month when President Trump signed an executive order designed to increase U.S. coal production and coal-fired power generation—released data showing the U.S. produced 578 million short tons (MMst) of coal in 2023, or less than half of the amount produced in 2008.

  • DOE Releases More Funding to Reopen Palisades Nuclear Plant

    Energy Secretary Chris Wright on April 22 announced the release of the third loan disbursement to Holtec for the reopening of the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan.

  • Group Projects 100-GW Rise in Global Nuclear Power Capacity Across Next Decade

    A new report from GlobalData, a data and analytics group, projects global nuclear power capacity will hit 494 GW by 2035. The group said capacity gains will be tied to advancements in deployments of small modular reactors (SMRs), along with the continuing worldwide shift to cleaner forms of energy.

  • Why We’re Suing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission—and Still Believe in Nuclear Regulation

    At Deep Fission, we’re taking a radically different approach to nuclear energy: smaller, safer, faster to deploy—and located a mile underground. By placing reactors deep beneath the Earth’s surface, we use the natural containment of billions of tons of bedrock to dramatically improve safety and cut costs. COMMENTARY Liz Muller, CEO and co-founder of Deep […]

  • Radiant Selected by DOE to Receive Fuel for First Kaleidos Reactor Test

    A company working to mass produce portable nuclear microreactors said its has accepted its selection by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) to receive high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel for the first test of Kaleidos, the group’s reactor design.

  • DOE’s Loan Programs Office Offers Game-Changing Possibilities

    As the presidential inauguration loomed on the horizon in January this year, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office (LPO) published a “year-in-review” article, highlighting accomplishments from 2024 and looking ahead to the future. It noted that the previous four years had been the most productive in the LPO’s history. “Under the Biden-Harris […]

  • Canada Approves First Grid-Scale SMR Construction at Darlington

    The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has given Ontario Power Generation (OPG) the green light to begin building a 300-MW GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP) site in Clarington, Ontario. The historic approval marks the first time Canada has approved the construction of a grid-scale SMR. The federal […]

  • DOE Allocates First Round of HALEU to Five U.S. Advanced Nuclear Reactor Developers

    In a critical step aimed at bolstering advanced reactor development and their domestic nuclear fuel readiness, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued its first round of allocations for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) under its HALEU Availability Program to five American nuclear developers. On April 9, the DOE said it made conditional commitments to […]

  • Dow and X-energy Advance Landmark Nuclear Project in Texas With Construction Permit Filing

    Advanced reactor developer X-energy and global materials science company Dow have submitted a construction permit application (CPA) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a first-of-its-kind small modular reactor (SMR) project at Dow’s Union Carbide Corp. (UCC) Seadrift Operations in Calhoun County, Texas. The filing marks a major step forward for the much-watched commercial-scale […]

  • TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear Power Project: Where Things Stand Today

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has for many years been evaluating emerging nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors, as part of technology innovation efforts aimed at developing the energy system of the future. TVA—the largest public power provider in the U.S., serving more than 10 million people in parts of seven states—currently operates seven reactors […]

  • POWER Digest [April 2025]

    U.S. Withdraws from Global Clean Energy Partnership. The U.S. has withdrawn from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), a 2021-launched financing cooperation mechanism, that seeks to help a selection

  • What Was Learned from Building New Nuclear Reactors?

    Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 are the only new reactors that have been built in the U.S. in over 30 years. At the start, Georgia Power executives claimed that, unlike the first two reactors, Vogtle 3

  • Nuclear-Powered Data Centers—What U.S. Developers Need to Know

    Recognizing their desirable attributes and long-term potential to meet data center demands for power, several technology companies have announced their intention to team up with nuclear developers. At the same time, three companies with shuttered nuclear plants have notified the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission of their plans to restart those facilities, which were closed for economic reasons.

  • Overcoming Engineering Challenges in Energy Generation

    This whitepaper from SimuTech Group explores how multiphysics simulation helps engineers solve performance and reliability challenges across the energy generation industry. Covering structural, thermal, fluid, and electromagnetic domains, it highlights practical applications across fossil, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, and hydrogen systems. Backed by 40+ years of experience, SimuTech Group offers proven strategies to accelerate innovation […]

  • DOE Reissues $900M Nuclear SMR Opportunity, Scraps Community Criteria to Focus on Technical Merit

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reissued a $900 million funding opportunity to accelerate deployment of Generation III+ small modular reactors (SMRs), removing community benefit requirements and shifting the focus solely to technical merit—a move that reflects the Trump administration’s revised energy and industrial priorities. The funding opportunity announcement (FOA)—officially designated DE-FOA-0003485—was first issued […]

  • The Virtual Nuclear Reactor

    The current fleet of nuclear reactors are based in huge imposing facilities generally located in isolated locations away from population centers.  This need not be the case. In the near future nuclear reactors will be regarded as portable, modular sources of safe and clean energy. Rather than being located in remote facilities hundreds of miles […]

  • America’s Nuclear Renaissance: How the TVA Can Lead Our Energy Future

    You may have heard of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), our nation’s largest public utility and source of cheap, clean, and reliable electricity for 10 million people. You may even know that its Board of Directors is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate, making it directly […]

  • Oklo Advances Siting, On Track for Aurora Nuclear Fast Reactor Deployment at INL in 2027

    Advanced nuclear firm Oklo has signed an Interface Agreement (IAG) with Idaho National Laboratory (INL), marking a key regulatory milestone in the siting and environmental review of its first commercial Aurora powerhouse—a compact passive fast-spectrum reactor—targeted for deployment at INL by late 2027. The IAG with INL—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-owned and funded national […]

  • Trump Administration Backs $1.52B Loan for Palisades Nuclear Restart

    The Trump administration has released a second loan disbursement of $56.8 million to Holtec International as part of an up to $1.52 billion loan guarantee for the restart of the 800-MW Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. The funding, a key step in reviving the shuttered facility, reinforces a loan guarantee initially issued under the Biden […]

  • Tech and Industry Giants Pledge to Triple Global Nuclear Power by 2050

    A coalition of large energy users—including Google, Amazon, Meta, Occidental, and Dow—have pledged their support for tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. The cross-industry commitment, announced on the sidelines of CERAWeek by S&P Global in Houston, marks the first time large energy users beyond the nuclear sector have collectively backed such an extensive expansion of […]

  • Maryland Officials Support Gas Plants Among Cleaner Forms of Generation

    Maryland lawmakers have introduced a bill in the state legislature that sponsors say would provide an easier path to build new power plants, including natural gas-fired facilities, and lower utility bills for ratepayers as part of the process.

  • Tripling Nuclear Energy Capacity by 2050: Maximizing a High-Energy Future for Data Centres, Refineries, Manufacturing, and Beyond

    Next week, the world’s most influential energy conference, CERAWeek, will see more than 10,000 delegates assemble to hear from the industry’s leaders about the future of energy. The conference has traditionally been dominated by oil and gas, but in recent years, nuclear energy has become more prominent—and this year, World Nuclear Association will be there […]

  • Nuclear Power Renaissance Underway in West Texas

    When you think of innovative advancements in nuclear power technology, places like the Idaho National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology probably come to mind. But today, some very exciting nuclear power development work is being done in West Texas, specifically, at Abilene Christian University (ACU). That’s where Natura Resources is working to construct […]

  • The SMR Gamble: Betting on Nuclear to Fuel the Data Center Boom

    Data center power demand is accelerating, pushing the grid to its limits and prompting tech giants to bet on next-generation nuclear reactors. But given steep costs, regulatory hurdles, and uncertain