The definition of a microreactor is ambiguous. But whether your upper cutoff is 10 MW or 20 MW, the Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) reactor that the Department of Energy plans to build is, at 100 kW, on the tiny side of micro.
New work for old FLiBe? DOE considers reuse of molten salt reactor coolant
FLiBe—a mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride—is not an off-the-shelf commodity. The Department of Energy suspects that researchers and reactor developers may have a use for...
Uranium prices continue downward trend
Uranium prices have fallen to their lowest level in more than a month, to just under $79 per pound, on Friday, November 1, according to analyst website Trading Economics. The lower prices,...
Proposed rule for more flexible licensing under Part 53 is open for comment
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published a proposed rule that has been almost five years in the making: Risk-Informed, Technology-Inclusive Regulatory Framework for Advanced Reactors....
Insights from the DOME draft EA on EBR-II’s second life as a reactor test bed
On October 8, the Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations Office released the draft environmental assessment (EA) Demonstration of Microreactor Experiment (DOME) Test Bed Operations. The...
Colorado State begins constructing laser lab as public-private research hub
In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the outskirts of Fort Collins, Colo.—home to Colorado State University—work began this month on a new laser facility funded by a public-private...
Workshop highlights commercial fabrication of universal waste canister
Deep Isolation announced that it hosted its third technical workshop for the UPWARDS project, a Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) initiative aimed at...
DOE plans removal of naval prototype reactor, opens public comment period
The Department of Energy is proposing to fully decommission the Submarine 5th Generation General Electric (S5G) prototype at the Naval Reactors Facility on the Idaho National Laboratory site....
DOE approves conceptual safety design report for Oklo fuel fabrication facility
Oklo Inc. announced yesterday that a safety design report for the Aurora fuel fabrication facility the company plans to build at Idaho National Laboratory has the approval of the Department of...
U.S. lawmakers look to simplify export control to grow international nuclear partners
Legislative proposals focused on streamlining the U.S. nuclear energy export process have circulated on Capitol Hill for several years, notably aimed at establishing a single point of contact...
Are Civil Nuclear Credits still relevant? DOE is asking nuclear operators for input
Interest in new reactor deployments and existing reactor life extensions is surging, encouraged by production and investment tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act and led by electricity...