On July 18, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) approved a new process to help streamline the agency’s mandatory hearings. The new process will go into effect immediately and should dramatically shorten the time...more
On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, President Biden signed into law the most comprehensive energy-related bill since the Inflation Reduction Act—and it’s all about nuclear energy. This new law will support the deployment of nuclear...more
On June 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) issued a request for proposals (“RFP”) aimed at expanding domestic uranium enrichment capabilities. This confirms the Biden Administration’s priority to establish...more
In a move further reflecting the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the United States and Russia, the U.S. government has recently proposed or implemented a series of policy changes aimed at curbing its reliance on the...more
Fusion energy took center stage in Washington, D.C. this week. On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a new strategy aimed at accelerating the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with...more
On May 29, 2024, the White House hosted a Summit on Domestic Nuclear Deployment, highlighting key points of progress being made across the public and private sectors, and announcing a number of new initiatives....more
Last week, the United Kingdom announced two significant initiatives that help promote commercialization of next-generation clean energy technology. First, the UK will help fund a uranium enrichment plant to produce...more
An updated version of the ADVANCE Act—broad-ranging legislation intended to support deployment of new nuclear reactors in both the United States and abroad, among other things, received strong movement forward this past week...more
On February 28, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill containing a package of nuclear licensing reforms aimed at speeding the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors. The bill, which had strong bipartisan...more
During the World Climate Action Summit of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change going on now in Dubai, UAE—commonly known as “COP28”—a number of significant announcements have...more
On August 25, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license granted to Interim Storage Partners, LLC (ISP) for its temporary spent nuclear fuel storage...more
In April 2023, Idaho National Laboratory (“INL”), a U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) National Laboratory, published a report entitled “Recommendations to Improve the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Reactor Licensing and...more
The U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) is releasing a series of reports on the path to commercialization for certain clean energy technologies, including a report on advanced reactors. Today, senior leaders at DOE hosted a...more
On April 13, 2023, Commissioners of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) directed the NRC staff to create a regulatory framework for fusion energy systems, building on the agency’s existing process for licensing the...more
Today, April 3, the Senate Energy and Public Works Committee (“EPW”) introduced new legislation that continues to demonstrate bipartisan support for advanced nuclear reactor developments, including expanding levels of...more
On March 30, the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) published a report walking through the benefits and latest progress in fusion energy developments, while noting certain challenges and proposing policy approaches to...more
Interest in nuclear energy—and its promise of clean, secure, and affordable power—continue to lead to new projects in the U.S. and abroad. Traditional large reactors, advanced reactors and small, modular reactors (“SMRs”) are...more
On January 17, U.S. Space Force officials issued an advanced research announcement seeking new ideas in space nuclear power generation for propulsion and sensors aboard small satellites....more
On January 9, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura Yasutoshi announced plans to strengthen bilateral cooperation on developing next-generation nuclear...more
Today the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) officially announced a major scientific breakthrough in fusion energy when the National Ignition Facility (“NIF”) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (“LLNL”) in...more
On December 7, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the bipartisan International Nuclear Energy Act (“INEA”), which aims to support the United States’ civil nuclear export strategy and promote international...more
The world is currently experiencing a global energy crisis of unprecedented breadth and complexity, according to the International Energy Agency (“IEA”) in its annual World Energy Outlook published on October 27. While the...more
On October 3, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin unveiled Virginia’s 2022 Energy Plan, calling for deployment of the state’s first small “modular nuclear reactor” in the region and going all-in on nuclear....more
On September 26, 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency (“IAEA”) published its annual projections on nuclear power growth, predicting a substantial increase in nuclear generating capacity due to increased concerns about...more
A recent report released last week by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shows that hundreds of coal plant sites could host new nuclear reactors. Siting new nuclear at retiring coal sites, referred to as the...more