Constellation’s Carbon-Free Nuclear Fleet Ran at Near 100% Capacity During Hottest Summer on Record Sept. 21, 2023 While wildfires, hurricanes and extreme heat battered Americans from coast to coast during the hottest summer in Earth’s recorded history, Constellation’s carbon-free nuclear units ran nearly 100% of the time, powering more than…
Takahama No. 2 nuclear reactor restarted after 12-year halt
Takahama No. 2 nuclear reactor restarted after 12-year halt Sep 15, 2023 Kansai Electric Power on Friday rebooted its nearly 50-year-old No. 2 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture for the first time since 2011, marking the 12th unit to be restarted in the country since the…
Bruce Power Unit 6 powers up
Bruce Power Unit 6 powers up Sep 08, 2023 A renewed Unit 6 at Bruce Power’s Tiverton nuclear generation station has been connected to Ontario’s electricity grid following a Major Component Replacement (MCR) outage. The Unit 6 MCR began in January 2020 and was completed ahead of schedule and on…
US regulator ready for next-generation nuclear, NRC says
US regulator ready for next-generation nuclear, NRC says September 1, 2023 The NRC is under pressure to show it can move fast on a new generation of nuclear technology, including small modular reactors (SMRs) and other previously untested designs, as many in the industry call for deep reforms at the…
TVA Plans to Invest $15 Billion Over the Next Three Years to Meet Region’s Growth
TVA Plans to Invest $15 Billion Over the Next Three Years to Meet Region’s Growth Aug. 28, 2023 During the decade before COVID, TVA’s seven-state region saw almost no electric load growth. Post-COVID, the region has experienced tremendous economic growth, fueled by several factors. The Tennessee Valley Authority Board of…
Duke seeks approval for SMRs at retiring N.C. coal plant
Duke seeks approval for SMRs at retiring N.C. coal plant Aug 18, 2023 Duke Energy has filed an update to its 2022 state-mandated carbon-reduction plan with the public utility commissions of North and South Carolina, proposing the deployment of small modular reactors at the Belews Creek coal plant in Stokes…
Sentar wins grant to boost cyber resilience in US nuclear plants
Sentar wins grant to boost cyber resilience in US nuclear plants Aug 21, 2023 Sentar Inc., a small business specialising in cyber resilience solutions and technology, has been awarded a research grant from the US Department of Energy. The grant will be used to develop a proof-of-concept solution that will,…
Quebec government says it is open to studying whether to restart nuclear reactor
Quebec government says it is open to studying whether to restart nuclear reactor Aug 14, 2023 Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said Monday he agrees with Hydro-Québec’s decision to study a possible reopening of the province’s only nuclear power plant. Fitzgibbon was reacting to last week’s news that the power…
America’s first new nuclear reactor in nearly seven years starts operations
America’s first new nuclear reactor in nearly seven years starts operations JUL 31 2023 Monday marked the first time a new nuclear reactor has begun delivering power to the electric grid in the United States in nearly seven years. Nuclear energy does not generate the greenhouse gas emissions that cause…
Michigan PSC approves DTE Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan, setting path to net zero emissions by 2050
Michigan PSC approves DTE Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan, setting path to net zero emissions by 2050 July 28, 2023 DTE Energy received approval for its CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) this week from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), greenlighting a clean energy plan that will speed the end of…
State regulators to hear Plant Vogtle progress report after nuclear expansion stalled again
State regulators to hear Plant Vogtle progress report after nuclear expansion stalled again July 24, 2023 Georgia Power announced on Friday that the Waynesboro’s nuclear energy facility operators, Southern Nuclear, has turned over to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission the 364 inspections, tests and analyses required for regulatory approval to assure…
Holtec gets NRC go-ahead for US used nuclear fuel store
Holtec gets NRC go-ahead for US used nuclear fuel store 13 July 2023 Holtec International has received the final licence from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for construction and operation of a waste storage facility in Lea County, southeast New Mexico. The site will temporarily store nuclear waste from…
Ontario Building More Small Modular Reactors to Power Province’s Growth
Ontario Building More Small Modular Reactors to Power Province’s Growth July 07, 2023 The Ontario government is working with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to commence planning and licensing for three additional small modular reactors (SMRs), for a total of four SMRs at the Darlington nuclear site. Once deployed, these four…
Palisades nuclear plant gets $150 million in Michigan budget
Palisades nuclear plant gets $150 million in Michigan budget Jul. 03, 2023 Michigan lawmakers included $150 million toward the effort to restart the Palisades nuclear plant as part of a record $81.7 billion state budget passed last week. State officials contributed the millions in taxpayer dollars toward Holtec International’s effort…
EnergySolutions sets its sights on nuclear new build
EnergySolutions sets its sights on nuclear new build Jun 22, 2023 Utah-based decommissioning company EnergySolutions has entered the early phases of exploring the possible use of former nuclear sites acquired by the company, such as the closed Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin, as potential locations for future new nuclear…
Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant
Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant Jun 17, 2023 Georgia Power said commercial operation of the new Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has been delayed for at least another month. The utility on June 16 said there’s a problem in the hydrogen system used to cool the…
Nuclear storage talks could mean changes for San Onofre
Nuclear storage talks could mean changes for San Onofre June 9, 2023 U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the process of moving spent nuclear fuel currently stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is moving forward. Granholm visited the decommissioned nuclear power plant on Camp Pendleton on Friday to…
Constellation Energy in Deal to Buy NRG’s Stake in South Texas Nuclear Project
Constellation Energy in Deal to Buy NRG’s Stake in South Texas Nuclear Project June 4, 2023 Constellation Energy is acquiring NRG Energy’s 44 percent stake in the 2,645-megawatt South Texas Project nuclear plant in Texas. The transaction is valued at $1.75 billion, with an effective purchase price of $1.4 billion…
California unlikely to run short of electricity this summer thanks to winter storms, new power sources
California unlikely to run short of electricity this summer thanks to winter storms, new power sources May 25, 2023 California regulators say the state is unlikely to experience electricity shortages this summer after securing new power sources and a wet winter that filled the state’s reservoirs enough to restart hydroelectric…
Oklo’s Next Two Nuclear Power Plants Planned for Southern Ohio
Oklo’s Next Two Nuclear Power Plants Planned for Southern Ohio May 18, 2023 Advanced nuclear reactor technology firm Oklo will build its second and third commercial 15-MWe Aurora Powerhouse reactors on land owned by the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI), a community reuse organization tasked by the Department of Energy…
PG&E has a new way to store radioactive waste at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant
PG&E has a new way to store radioactive waste at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant MAY 12, 2023 PG&E will soon have an additional way it stores casks of new highly radioactive spent fuel from Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Currently, the spent fuel — radioactive waste that remains dangerous…
Westinghouse unveils “game-changing” AP300 small modular reactor
Westinghouse unveils “game-changing” AP300 small modular reactor MAY 8, 2023 Cranberry Township-based Westinghouse Electric Company announced Thursday it had launched a “game-changing” nuclear technology advancement – a new small modular reactor. The AP 300 reactor is a 300-MWe single-loop pressurized water reactor, the company said, based on the scaled design…
Feds extend Diablo Canyon Power Plant license through 2030
Feds extend Diablo Canyon Power Plant license through 2030 04/29/2023 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant through 2030 while the agency considers its license renewal application. The plant was set to close in 2025. Newsom said,…
Support for nuclear energy highest in a decade: Gallup
Support for nuclear energy highest in a decade: Gallup 04/25/23 Americans’ support for nuclear energy is at its highest point in a decade, according to a new Gallup poll. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they strongly or somewhat favor the use of nuclear energy as a method of providing electricity…
World Leaders Agree to Boost Nuclear Power, While Germany Shuts Its Plants
World Leaders Agree to Boost Nuclear Power, While Germany Shuts Its Plants April 17, 2023 Some of the world’s largest most influential nations have formed an alliance to create new supply chains for nuclear energy—the same weekend that another country announced it had completely weaned itself off the energy source.…
PacifiCorp eyes renewables as it plans to stop burning coal at most of its Wyoming plants
PacifiCorp eyes renewables as it plans to stop burning coal at most of its Wyoming plants April 5, 2023 Wyoming’s largest power company is shifting toward renewables and away from coal; however, the state is still planning a future that includes fossil fuels. PacifiCorp, also known as Rocky Mountain Power…
Vogtle nuclear expansion projects reach key milestones
Vogtle nuclear expansion projects reach key milestones April 11, 2023 The new nuclear units under construction at Georgia Power’s Vogtle 3 & 4 nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Ga., reached some important milestones recently. At Vogtle Unit 3, the generator has generated electricity for the first time, and the unit…
Senators lead push to accelerate advanced nuclear deployment
Senators lead push to accelerate advanced nuclear deployment April 3, 2023 West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito is trying her hand again at a bill that, if made law, would hasten the rollout of America’s newest fleet of nuclear power reactors. The wide-ranging, bipartisan measure, known as the Accelerating Deployment…
Radioactive water leaks at Minn. nuclear plant for 2nd time
Radioactive water leaks at Minn. nuclear plant for 2nd time Mar 23, 2023 Water containing a radioactive material has leaked for a second time from a nuclear plant near Minneapolis and the plant will be shut down, but there is no danger to the public, the plant’s owner said Thursday.…
Xcel is cleaning up radioactive water spill at Monticello plant
Xcel is cleaning up radioactive water spill at Monticello plant MARCH 16, 2023 A broken pipe at Xcel Energy’s Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant leaked about 400,000 gallons of water containing radioactive tritium, and the utility is working to clean up the contaminated plume, state regulators said Thursday. Both Xcel and…
US NRC accepts Monticello subsequent licence renewal application
US NRC accepts Monticello subsequent licence renewal application 13 March 2023 The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted for review Northern States Power Company-Minnesota’s application for subsequent licence renewal for the Monticello plant. The regulator is also moving forward with revisions to its rule on the environmental considerations behind…
Constellation starts up nuclear-powered clean hydrogen facility in New York
Constellation starts up nuclear-powered clean hydrogen facility in New York Mar 07, 2023 Constellation Energy Company has started up a 1MW demonstration-scale, nuclear-powered clean hydrogen production facility at its Nine Mile Point plant in Oswego, New York. Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the plant…
Georgia Power begins splitting atoms inside one new Vogtle reactor
Georgia Power begins splitting atoms inside one new Vogtle reactor 3/6/2023 Georgia Power began splitting atoms on Monday to produce heat inside one of its two new nuclear units at Plant Vogtle, the company said, a key milestone that brings the country’s first new reactors built in more than three…
Reprieved Illinois plants to be uprated
Reprieved Illinois plants to be uprated 22 February 2023 US utility Constellation has announced it will invest USD800 million in new equipment to increase the output of its Braidwood and Byron nuclear power plants in Illinois by some 135 MWe. They were among the Illinois nuclear plants saved from premature…
These “microreactors” could be the future of nuclear power
These “microreactors” could be the future of nuclear power February 18, 2023 One of the best ways to scale up the use of clean nuclear energy in the future might be to scale down the tech, with “microreactors” that can be built and deployed in a fraction of the time…
Extreme Northwest weather — hot and cold — drives new record at only WA nuclear plant
Extreme Northwest weather — hot and cold — drives new record at only WA nuclear plant FEBRUARY 10, 2023 The Pacific Northwest’s only nuclear commercial power plant set a new generation record in 2022, a year of weather extremes. The Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station produced 9.8 million megawatt hours…
Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says
Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says Energize Weekly, February 15, 2023 New renewable and nuclear generation is set to meet 90 percent of the growing demand for electricity globally during the next three years, while increasing extreme weather will test grid resilience, according…
More than half of new U.S. electric-generating capacity in 2023 will be solar
More than half of new U.S. electric-generating capacity in 2023 will be solar FEBRUARY 6, 2023 Developers plan to add 54.5 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric-generating capacity to the U.S. power grid in 2023, according to our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. More than half of this capacity will…
The United States Is Facing Electricity Famine
The United States Is Facing Electricity Famine Feb. 7, 2023 There are signs that we are heading towards an electricity famine; a life-threatening energy Holodomor throughout many areas of the United States caused by political decisions. The system is being set up to fail. This problem this time is not…
SNC-Lavalin, Aecon join team building North America’s first small modular reactor
SNC-Lavalin, Aecon join team building North America’s first small modular reactor 30.01.23 Canadian power company Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has retained Candu Energy, part of the SNC-Lavalin Group, and Canadian contractor Aecon to design and build a small modular reactor (SMR) at the Darlington nuclear plant in Ontario before the…
Senators explore power supply failure — especially natural gas — during Christmas storm
Senators explore power supply failure – especially natural gas – during Christmas storm January 26, 2023 The winter storm of Dec. 23-25 produced an unexpectedly high demand for electricity. Despite the surprise, PJM, the 13-state power grid organization — thought it had plenty of reserve on hand. But the power…
First Bitcoin Mining Powered By Nuclear Energy To Open In The U.S. In Q1 This Year
First Bitcoin Mining Powered By Nuclear Energy To Open In The U.S. In Q1 This Year January 23, 2023 Positioning bitcoin mining with carbon-free sources, like nuclear energy, offers enormous benefits to the cryptocurrency industry as digital assets grow in popularity, acceptability, and engagement with the broader economy. World Nuclear…
Electricity generation global demand for fossil fuels is about to peak, RMI says
Electricity generation global demand for fossil fuels is about to peak, RMI says Energize Weekly, January 25, 2023 The world has reached – or is close to reaching – peak demand for fossil fuels for generating electricity as the installation of cheaper renewable generation continues to grow, according to an…
Coal-to-nuclear plans may speed up reactor build in series
Coal-to-nuclear plans may speed up reactor build in series January 16, 2023 New nuclear projects, especially first-of-a-kind (FOAK) technology, are expected to be expensive and difficult to plan efficiently as their deployment must also include the creation of new supply chains, the training of a new workforce, and the construction…
Holtec seeks $7.4 billion loan for expansion tied to new reactor
Holtec seeks $7.4 billion loan for expansion tied to new reactor Jan. 9, 2023 Holtec International Inc. has applied for a $7.4 billion federal loan to fund expansion expected from future sales of a company-designed nuclear reactor. Holtec would tap the loan to boost capacity to make parts at its…
Sweden turns to France as it looks to buy two new nuclear reactors
Sweden turns to France as it looks to buy two new nuclear reactors January 3, 2023 Sweden and France could be set to join forces to build new nuclear power stations in the Nordic nation, to boost domestic power production and guarantee security of supply. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson…
Holtec to reapply for funding to restart Palisades
Holtec to reapply for funding to restart Palisades 20 December 2022 Holtec agreed in 2018 to purchase the plant for decommissioning from operator Entergy, completing the acquisition in June. In July, Holtec – with the support of Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer – submitted an application for funding under the…
DTE Energy retires two coal plants as part of its vision to generate carbon-free power for the grid of the future
DTE Energy retires two coal plants as part of its vision to generate carbon-free power for the grid of the future December 08, 2022 DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE), Michigan’s largest producer of clean energy, today announced the retirement of two coal-fired power plants, bringing Southeast Michigan closer to a carbon-free future…
U.S. announces nuclear fusion energy breakthrough
U.S. announces nuclear fusion energy breakthrough DECEMBER 13, 2022 The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday a monumental milestone in nuclear fusion research: a “net energy gain” was achieved for the first time in history by scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. “Simply put, this is one…
Department of Energy rejects Holtec International’s plan to restart Palisades Nuclear Power Plant
Department of Energy rejects Holtec International’s plan to restart Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Dec 6, 2022 No second life for Palisades: after applying for a Civil Nuclear Credit program, the United States Department of Energy rejected Holtec International’s plan to restart the decommissioned facility. “Obviously, it was disappointing news when…
