As a knowledge manager for the 2018 Utility Working Conference, I had many opportunities to interact with nuclear utility leaders. The discussions often centered around finding innovative ways to sustain the existing fleet of nuclear plants by improving plant economics.
Urenco USA has NRC approval for increased enrichment
Just one day after Urenco USA (UUSA) was picked by the Department of Energy as one of six contractors eligible to compete for future low-enriched uranium task orders, the Nuclear Regulatory...
Bipartisan Nuclear REFUEL Act introduced in the U.S. House
To streamline the licensing requirements for nuclear fuel recycling facilities and help increase investment in nuclear energy in the United States, U.S. Reps. Bob Latta (R., Ohio) and Scott...
General Atomics’ SiGA-cladded test rods complete irradiation testing in the ATR
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced last week that unfueled test rods featuring the company’s SiGA fuel cladding—made of a silicon carbide composite...
DeepGeo to explore economics of SNF reprocessing with Copenhagen Atomics
DeepGeo, a Rhode Island–based company seeking to develop multinational spent nuclear fuel repositories, and Denmark-based thorium reactor developer Copenhagen Atomics have signed a...
U.S. spent fuel liability jumps to $44.5 billion
The Department of Energy’s estimated overall liability for failing to dispose of the country’s commercial spent nuclear fuel jumped as much as 10 percent this year, from a range of $34.1...
LANL’s Deimos—the first critical experiment with HALEU fuel in over 20 years
Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have performed a critical experiment using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuel. It is the nation’s first criticality safety...
Orano completes repatriation of reprocessing waste to Germany
Orano completed the 13th and final rail shipment of vitrified high-level nuclear waste from France to Germany. The company announced that the four casks of vitrified HLW arrived at Germany’s...
DOE opens funding opportunity for HALEU transport packages
The Department of Energy announced November 19 that up to $16 million is available through a new High-Assay Low-Enrichment Transportation Package funding opportunity to research, develop, and...
Clean Core Thorium Energy marks fuel testing milestone and agreement with L&T
Clean Core Thorium Energy (Clean Core) announced November 12 that test rodlets of its patented thorium-uranium fuel design known as ANEEL (advanced nuclear energy for enriched life) have...
Diablo Canyon completes dry storage campaign, seeks ISFSI license renewal
Holtec International announced that it has completed the campaign to transfer Diablo Canyon’s spent nuclear to dry storage ahead of its planned schedule, paving the way for the continued...
