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First American Nuclear Company's Regulatory Engagement Plan for Proposed HALEU Fuel Facility Accepted for Docketing by NRC

First American Nuclear Co. (FANCO) announced on August 17 that its regulatory engagement plan for the proposed Class II high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) conversion and fuel fabrication facility has been accepted for docketing by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The facility will serve the company's EAGL-1 small modular reactor project currently under development. According to the company's disclosure, the NRC ADAMS accession number for the letter of intent is ML26222A181, and the NRC ADAMS accession number for the regulatory engagement plan is ML26222A177. This submission advances the pre-application regulatory engagement between FANCO and the NRC regarding the proposed ceramic fuel fabrication facility. The facility is planned to support the EAGL-1 lead-bismuth...

2026-08-18

Hyundai E&C Signs Framework Agreement with TerraPower for Natrium Nuclear Power Plant Project

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced on the 18th that it has signed a framework agreement with U.S. nuclear energy company TerraPower for the execution of the Natrium next-generation nuclear power plant project. Under the agreement, Hyundai E&C has been granted priority status to serve as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) general contractor for up to eight additional Natrium nuclear units developed by TerraPower. The signing ceremony was attended by senior executives from both companies, including Hyundai E&C CEO Lee Han-woo and TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque. The two parties plan to expand cooperation in the nuclear energy sector and jointly explore new business opportunities...

2026-08-18

Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy Completes Acceptance Sea Trials

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on August 15 that its subsidiary Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) has successfully completed acceptance sea trials for the second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). USS John F. Kennedy conducted further testing and evaluation of critical ship systems and components at sea before returning to Newport News Shipbuilding. Earlier this year, the carrier had completed builder's sea trials. Derek Murphy, NNS vice president in charge of the new carrier construction program, stated that the carrier...

2026-08-17

U.S. Fusion Company Discloses Texatron Platform Progress and Capital Markets Plans

American Fusion disclosed to shareholders on August 14 the latest developments in the global fusion energy industry, data center electricity demand in Texas, and the company's capital markets arrangements. The company stated that its Texatron fusion engine under development remains in the testing and engineering validation phase, and whether it can be used for commercial power supply in the future depends on multiple conditions, including test plans, regulatory approvals, financing, scaled production, and commercialization progress. American Fusion stated that its long-term goal is to develop the Texatron platform into a scalable distributed power source and explore supplying electricity to data centers, hospitals, defense facilities, industrial facilities, and other customers through a power-as-a-service model.

2026-08-17

US experiment reveals diamond melting behavior under high pressure, potentially advancing inertial confinement fusion research

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory published a new study in Nature Physics documenting the melting process of diamond at pressures approximately three times greater than those at Earth's core. The experiments showed that under high-pressure conditions, diamond floats in liquid metallic carbon, similar to how ice floats in water. This finding helps improve inertial confinement fusion experimental models and provides new evidence for understanding the potential "diamond rain" phenomenon inside ice giant planets such as Neptune and Uranus. The latest melting experiments confirmed that under high pressure, diamond floats in liquid metallic carbon, just as ice floats in a glass of water. (Concept image: James Wickboldt/LLNL) The research team stated...

2026-08-17

Machine learning framework predicts micro-displacements of DIII-D fusion device coils

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) and collaborating teams have developed a machine learning framework that can predict subtle changes in critical fusion device hardware before the next experiment begins. The method targets the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego, and the findings have been published in the journal Machine Learning with Applications. Interior of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility tokamak. (Image courtesy of General Atomics) DIII-D is a tokam...

2026-08-17

St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 Manually Shut Down After Three Control Rods Dropped into the Core

According to an event notification submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Unit 1 of the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, located on Hutchinson Island, Florida, USA, experienced a manual reactor shutdown at 9:47 a.m. Eastern Time on August 13, 2026. At the time of the event, the unit was in Mode 1 and operating at 100% power. The shutdown was caused by three control rods dropping into the reactor core. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission classified the event as a non-emergency. The licensee stated that the shutdown was completed in accordance with procedures, all systems responded normally after the shutdown, and operators subsequently stabilized the unit in Mode 3, i.e., hot standby condition. Decay heat was removed by diverting steam to the main condenser via turbine bypass valves and the main feedwater system...

2026-08-17

SK Deepens Cooperation with TerraPower, Targeting Nuclear Power Supply for AI Data Centers

According to industry sources, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won recently met with TerraPower Board Chairman Bill Gates in Seoul. The two sides exchanged views on next-generation nuclear power technology, electricity demand from AI data centers, and global energy cooperation. (From left to right) TerraPower CEO Chris Leveque, SK Innovation CEO Choo Hyung-wook, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, TerraPower Board Chairman Bill Gates, and TerraPower Senior Vice President of Business Development Jeff Miller at a meeting before a dinner at Seonhyewon restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on August 14, 2026...

2026-08-17

U.S. Department of Energy Awards $271 Million to Support Extended Operation of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently awarded $271 million to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to support the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. The funding will be used to ensure the plant maintains safe and reliable power generation during the license extension period and to support workforce stability. In April of this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a 20-year extension of the operating licenses for both units at Diablo Canyon. Under the previous schedule, the plant's two units were originally slated to cease commercial operation in 2025. Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish stated that keeping Diablo Canyon operational is of great significance in meeting California's growing demand for affordable, reliable, and safe electricity. The Civil Nuclear Credit Program is helping protect this critical baseload power source and prevent premature retirement of reliable generation facilities from the grid.

2026-08-15

Radiant's Kaleidos Microreactor Shipped to Idaho National Laboratory for Testing

On August 13, Radiant announced that its 1-MW-class portable microreactor Kaleidos has departed its facility in El Segundo, California, and is being transported by trailer to Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The unit will undergo testing at INL's Microreactor Experimental Demonstration Facility (DOME). According to Radiant, the Kaleidos transport distance exceeds 1,000 miles. The company stated that the unit shipped to INL is not a scaled test article, but rather a reactor model consistent in design, dimensions, and commercial fuel loading with the units planned for delivery to customers. The DOME facility has completed modifications for microreactor testing. According to...

2026-08-15

SLAC team observes progressive melting of copper under extreme heat in real time

Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy, and their collaborators used the Mega-electron-volt Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (MeV-UED) facility to observe in real time the melting process of copper atoms under extreme temperatures. The study was published in Nature Communications. Future fusion power plants will need to replicate fusion reactions that occur inside stars here on Earth. The core plasma can reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius, while surrounding structural materials must withstand sudden, intense thermal shocks. Copper and its alloys, owing to their excellent thermal conductivity, are considered capable of serving as "heat sinks" in fusion systems...

2026-08-15

Korea Eximbank to Promote Financial Cooperation with TerraPower on Small Modular Reactors

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) is in talks on financial cooperation with TerraPower, a U.S. next-generation nuclear energy company, with both sides planning to establish a support mechanism centered on the commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs) and overseas market expansion. According to KEXIM, bank Chairman Hwang Gi-yeon recently met with TerraPower Chairman Bill Gates, and the two sides exchanged views on expanding the global SMR ecosystem and advancing Korea-U.S. next-generation nuclear energy cooperation. TerraPower was founded by Bill Gates in 2008 and focuses on developing next-generation nuclear energy technologies. The company has developed the "Natrium" next-generation reactor using sodium-cooling techn...

2026-08-16

Utah Energy Hub Seeks Diversified Growth: Coal, Nuclear, and Data Centers in Parallel Development

On August 12, at the Carbon & Emery Energy Collaborative meeting held in Price, Utah, local government and energy companies discussed regional economic development, coal production, nuclear energy projects, and the electricity demand driven by data centers. The core message conveyed at the meeting was that while coal remains a vital pillar for Carbon County and Emery County, the future of energy and economic growth no longer depends on a single source, but rather requires the combined support of coal, nuclear energy, and emerging industries. Carbon County Commissioner Jared Haddock noted that the county's taxable value has decreased by approximately $1 billion over the past decade, putting greater pressure on local government to maintain its tax base. To avoid...

2026-08-16

Bill Gates Visits South Korea to Promote TerraPower Small Modular Reactor Cooperation

Bill Gates recently held a series of intensive meetings in South Korea with government agencies, financial institutions, and nuclear power industry chain companies, discussing the commercialization of TerraPower's small modular reactor (SMR), supply chain development, and global market expansion. Gates is the founder of TerraPower, which is advancing a next-generation small modular reactor project based on sodium-cooled fast reactor technology. Korea Eximbank (KEXIM) President Hwang Ki-yeon said on the 14th that he had met with Gates, and the two sides discussed financial cooperation plans needed for SMR commercialization and global market entry. Korea Eximbank plans to provide Terra...

2026-08-15

U.S. nuclear company TerraPower partners with Korean firms to advance Natrium advanced nuclear deployment in America

U.S. nuclear company TerraPower, backed by Bill Gates, is accelerating the commercialization of its advanced nuclear reactors. The company announced on August 14 that it has reached cooperation agreements with South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction and SK Innovation, aiming to advance the deployment of up to eight 345 MW Natrium reactors in the U.S. nuclear expansion. The first plant is expected to be completed by 2030, a timeline that underscores the urgency of deploying next-generation nuclear technology in the United States. Under the agreement, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has been selected as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for up to eight future Natrium reactor projects. The cooperation arrangement also includes related financing guarantee mechanisms, intended to enhance project bankability and reduce uncertainties in the early stages of large-scale construction. TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque stated that this marks a new phase of international cooperation with leading Korean institutions, reflecting the growing reliance of advanced nuclear projects on cross-border supply chains and engineering capabilities.

2026-08-15