Nuclear Power Is NOT Inherently Expensive
China has just announced its plan to build another eight nuclear reactors to add to its growing fleet. The cost of building a nuclear power plant in China (and likewise, in South Korea) is dramatically cheaper than building them in the USA. It’s a cop-out to say that that’s because the USA’s nuclear plants are safer and thus more costly.
For almost fifty years the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has hamstrung nuclear power development in myriad ways
Leaked White House plan aims to end US nuclear waste deadlock by bringing states on board
The proposal seeks to end the long-standing dependence on Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the only legally designated site for permanent nuclear waste storage.
The United States is preparing a major overhaul of its decades-old nuclear waste policy as it pushes for a sharp expansion of nuclear power. . .The proposal seeks to end the long-standing dependence on Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the only legally designated site for permanent nuclear waste storage.
America’s Nuclear Order Book Is Large and Growing
From The Breakthrough Institute (thebreakthrough.org)
Over 70 GW of new demand is in the pipeline, much of it for small and non-light water reactors from hyperscalers.
Thanks to fast-growing electricity demand, especially from AI data centers, demand for new nuclear energy is rapidly growing. In this analysis, we identify 74GW of planned or new nuclear reactor capacity in the United States. While it is unlikely that all of that capacity will ultimately be built, if even a fraction of it is deployed it would mark a historic turnaround for the US nuclear industry.
Nuclear developers race for Trump goal of ‘criticality’ before July 4 deadline
The Fourth of July this summer marks not only the 250th anniversary of the United States, but also the deadline for 10 nuclear companies vying to develop small and more advanced reactors to reach what the industry calls “criticality.”
Update:
Earlier this month, Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 and Valar Atomics’ Ward 250 reactors achieved criticality under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program. Deployable Energy’s demonstration reactor, Unity, successfully completed a zero-power fueled criticality demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory. Unity, which achieved criticality late yesterday, is the third DOE-authorized advanced reactor to go critical by the July 4th deadline.
Valar Atomic’s Ward 250 Becomes Second Reactor to Go Critical Under DOE Pilot Program
From Powermag
Valar Atomics has achieved self-sustaining criticality and completed zero-power testing at Ward 250, its Gen IV tri-structural isotropic (TRISO)-fueled modular high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR), at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in Emery County. The project is the second advanced reactor to go critical under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Reactor Pilot Program and the first DOE-authorized reactor built and operated outside the national laboratory system.
- TerraPower’s Natrium reactor begins UK GDA process
- Orano USA’s Oak Ridge nuclear facility could be licensed by April 2027
- Energy Department says advanced nuclear reactor first to reach critical milestone
- US nuclear firm advances 4th-gen 45 MWth Kronos modular reactor with key clearance
- India’s Fast Breeder Reactor: Advancing A Closed Nuclear Fuel Cycle For Long-Term Energy Security
- PFBR’s criticality milestone at Kalpakkam makes India a firm contender in the global nuclear race
- The Nuclear Revival: 75 Reactors Currently Being Built
- Restart of Indian Point Nuclear Plant? ‘Yes,’ Says Holtec Official
- Lawler, Energy Secretary Chris Wright Visit Indian Point, Call for Rebuilding And Reopening of Nuclear Facilities
- US approves construction of Bill Gates-backed nuclear reactor in Wyoming
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