Nuclear Power

On Thursday, the administration of Donald Trump announced that it had identified 16 sites in the United States Energy Department where data centers and energy plants could be built to support artificial intelligence. Why it's important The rapid growth of AI has led to the first surge in U.S. electricity demand in 20 years, sending Big Tech companies and utility companies scrambling for new data centers and energy plants. DOE stated that the potential sites were positioned to allow rapid construction of data centers, with in-place infrastructure and the ability for fast-tracking permits for new energy production such as nuclear...

Energy Information Administration of the United States reported on Wednesday that the U.S. produced a greater amount of uranium concentrat, which is used as fuel for nuclear reactors, during the final three months in 2024 than in any other quarter over the past six years. The EIA reported that the increase in output was due to higher uranium prices and the restart of production at White Mesa Mill, the only uranium-producing mill in the United States. Why it's important Data centers, onshored production and electrification in buildings and transportation have all contributed to the rise of electricity demand in the...

The companies announced on Monday that Dow Chemical and X-energy Reactor Company had submitted a permit application to Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a proposed project at Seadrift in Texas. Why is it important? In recent years, the U.S. Nuclear Industry has experienced challenges with expansion. However, the industry is now experiencing a boom in demand due to the power-intensive nature of data centers, and the shift towards low-emission, alternative energy sources. Small modular reactors are becoming more popular among companies. They are compact, cost-effective and faster to construct than full-sized nuclear reactors which can take years to build. The project...

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant was a Russian facility, and it was impossible to transfer control of this plant to Ukraine or other countries. The ministry said that it was also not permissible to operate the plant jointly, as it would make it impossible to ensure the safety of the station in terms of both physical and nuclear security. The report said that the Zaporizhzhia Region, which is partly controlled by Russian troops, was one out of four regions in Ukraine to be annexed into Russia as a result of referendums held seven...

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is authorized to issue licenses for nuclear waste storage. The states of Texas and New Mexico along with the oil industry objected. The U.S. Government and a company, which was granted a license to operate an operation in western Texas by the NRC (the federal agency responsible for regulating nuclear energy in the United States), have appealed the ruling of a lower court that declared this storage arrangement illegal. Arguments were still ongoing. In several important rulings, the Supreme Court's conservative majority of 6-3 questioned the...

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is authorized to issue licenses for nuclear waste storage sites. Texas and New Mexico have objected to this as has the oil industry. The U.S. Government and a company, which was granted a license to operate an operation in western Texas by the NRC (the federal agency responsible for nuclear energy regulation in the United States), have appealed the ruling of a lower court that declared this storage arrangement illegal. In several important rulings, the conservative-majority Supreme Court, with a 6-3 majority, questioned the authority of federal...

Siemens Energy announced on Friday that it had entered into a partnership which is expected to make Siemens Energy the exclusive provider of conventional technology to future small modular reactors (SMRs) built by Rolls-Royce SMR. Siemens Energy will supply steam turbines and generators as well as "other auxiliary system" to Rolls-Royce SMR for its planned Generation 3+ modular nucleopower plants. The agreement is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025. Global nuclear energy providers are developing so-called SMRs to create power plant technologies that are easily replicable, quicker and cheaper to deploy compared to traditional large-scale units. Karim...

Talen Energy, a utility company, reported a higher annual profit Thursday, thanks to lower operating and energy costs. Shares of the company rose 2.6% during extended trading. In 2024, the utility reported operating, maintenance, and development costs of $592 millions, down approximately 8% from a previous year. Energy costs fell by about 8%, to $797 millions. Talen had another opportunity in November to convince regulators that its agreement with Amazon to provide more electricity for a data center located at the nuclear power plant of Talen's utility in Pennsylvania was approved. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected the agreement that...

Evergy Inc missed its fourth-quarter profit estimate on Thursday as the company was affected by higher operating expenses and interest costs. Evergy's borrowing costs are likely to increase as interest rates continue to rise. Utility companies like Evergy need additional capital for maintenance of the grid and other expenses. Total operating expenses for the company in the third quarter increased by 2.8% compared to a year earlier, to $1.04billion. Interest costs also rose from $132.2m to $142.4m. Retail sales in the fourth quarter were up 5.4% compared to a year ago, reaching $1.04 billion. This was largely due to an...

As part of the Trump administration's "maximum-pressure" campaign against Tehran, the United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six entities in Hong Kong and China that they accused of involvement in an Iranian drone acquisition network. The U.S. Treasury Department announced that entities involved in the procurement of components for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on behalf of a firm under U.S. sanction, Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra and its subsidiary Narin Sepehr Mobin Isatis were also key suppliers to Iran's UAVs and ballistic missile program. We were unable to reach PKGB and NSMI immediately for comment. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated...

Romania's Energy Minister said that recent criticisms from members of the Trump administration regarding a cancelled elections should not affect Romanian nuclear projects supported by U.S. firms. The Romanian top court annulled the presidential elections in December on the suspicion of Russian interference, which Moscow denied. Elon Musk, a tech billionaire and vice president of the United States, singled out Romania in a broader criticism of Europe that points to possible policy shifts. Nuclearelectrica, a Romanian nuclear power company owned by the Romanian government, signed a 3.2-billion euro contract for main engineering to build two nuclear reactors of 700 MW...

Southern Co executives said that they have increased their base capital investment plan through the end decade by about 30%. The proposed increase in spending is dominated by transmission projects. On a recent earnings call, Southern Co executives stated that the demand for electricity from artificial intelligence data centres and population growth in the U.S. South has driven Southern Co's demand up and increased overall electricity consumption. Southern provides service to nearly 9 million customers across Alabama, Georgia and Illinois as well as Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia Southern's pipeline for data centers and other large energy users...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that he will speak with Vladimir Putin of Russia on Tuesday to discuss ending the Ukraine conflict. The question of who controls the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is likely to play a major role in the discussions. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of drone attacks and military activity around Zaporizhzhia - Europe's biggest nuclear plant - and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned about the dangers of a catastrophe there for years. The plant is located 500 kilometers (300 miles), away from the site where the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster, which...

The U.N. nuclear monitors arrived in Ukraine on Saturday for the first ever time via Russian territory at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is owned by Russia. The IAEA's rotation was delayed for weeks by military activity on the site. Each side blamed the other, claiming that the rules were not followed to ensure the safety of the team. In a video posted on Telegram, Yuri Chernichuk said that it was important for the route to pass through Russian territory. He added that the arrival of three inspectors was guaranteed by Russia's Defence Ministry and National Guard and came...

An industry source said on Wednesday that the Ukrainian parliament will vote on a bill next week to allow for the construction and startup of two new nuclear power plants. This would help support Ukraine as it is constantly under attack by Russian missiles. Ukrainian energy officials said that the new reactors would be built at Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant in western Ukraine, and will be equipped with Russian designed equipment which Kyiv is looking to import from Bulgaria. The Ukraine planned to sign an agreement last June with Bulgaria to purchase two nuclear reactor bodies to compensate for the...

Russiainstalled authorities in Ukraine's partlyoccupied Zaporizhzhia region stated Ukrainian drones on Wednesday assaulted Enerhodar, a city serving the Russianheld Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Russia seized the nuclear plant, Europe's biggest with 6 reactors, in the early days of the war and each side has because implicated the other of staging periodic attacks on the facility. Russia-installed regional authorities have actually reported attacks on Enerhodar, particularly on 2 electrical power substations nearby. Russian media quoted the city's authorities as stating at least 4 drones had actually attacked Enerhodar. It stated there were no casualties and no details on damage were offered....

The U.N. nuclear watchdog's. 35nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday. condemning attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities, but. stopping working to discuss Russia as the perpetrator. Ukraine called Thursday's emergency International Atomic. Energy Agency (IAEA) Board conference to talk about a wave of attacks. on Nov. 28 that Russia released on its energy infrastructure,. triggering deep power cuts throughout the nation. The drone and rocket attacks strike electricity sub-stations. used by 3 of Ukraine's nuclear reactor to get and. transfer off-site power, which is vital to their security since. that power is necessary to cool their nuclear fuel...

A drone hit and seriously damaged an official car of the International Atomic Energy Agency on the roadway to Ukraine's Russianheld Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Tuesday, the agency's head said. There were no casualties and the teams are safe, Rafael Grossi, director general of the U.N. nuclear guard dog, said in a. video published on X. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strike was. a purposeful Russian attack that showed Moscow had overall. disregard for worldwide law and institutions. Moscow made no. instant declaration after the occurrence took place. I condemn in the most firm terms this attack on...

Iran is drastically. accelerating its enrichment of uranium to as much as 60% pureness,. near the roughly 90% level that is weapons grade, U.N. nuclear guard dog chief Rafael Grossi informed Reuters on Friday. The International Atomic Energy Firm later validated in a. private report to member states that Iran was accelerating. uranium enrichment, a process that refines the raw material so. that it can be utilized as fuel in civil nuclear power generation. or, potentially, nuclear weapons. The IAEA findings will deepen alarm in Western nations. that say there is no reason for enhancing uranium to such. a high...

The United States is ruling out going back to Ukraine the nuclear weapons it quit after the Soviet Union collapsed, White House national security consultant Jake Sullivan said on Sunday. Sullivan made his remarks when questioned about a New york city Times article last month that stated some unknown Western officials had actually suggested U.S. President Joe Biden could offer Ukraine the arms before he leaves workplace. That is not under factor to consider, no. What we are doing is surging different traditional capabilities to Ukraine so that they can effectively safeguard themselves and take the battle to the Russians,...

Below are crucial passages from a. resolution on Iran that diplomats said the International Atomic. Energy Firm's 35nation Board of Governors passed at a. quarterly meeting on Thursday night. The Board of Governors ... ( d) Noting the Director General's deep concern that. undeclared nuclear material had actually been present at several. undeclared areas in Iran which its present place( s). are not known to the Company, and his evaluation that nuclear. product used in Iran was not stated as needed under Iran's. NPT Safeguards Contract, ... ( g) Recalling the Board of Governors' resolutions of 19 June. 2020 ...,...

Hungary's government has sent an expense to parliament to allow a change of its nuclear plant contract with Russia and raise the prepared cost of the construction task if called for, according to the legislation published on parliament's website. The expense, dated Nov. 19, says the objective is to enable the building of the 2 new atomic power plants at Paks to continue smoothly. The project was granted in 2014 without a tender to Russian nuclear giant Rosatom, and has been delayed by years. The project is often mentioned as an indication of continuing close ties in between NATO and...

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, the world's largest provider of enriched uranium, said on Monday it was providing uranium to all of its consumers as normal which materials to the United States could take place under a special regime. Russia stated on Friday that it had actually imposed momentary constraints on the export of enriched uranium to the United States in action to U.S moves. Uranium rates rose on the choice. In May, President Joe Biden signed into law a restriction on Russian enriched uranium, though the U.S. likewise has the capability to provide waivers if there are supply concerns....

Russia is alerting Israel to not even think about striking Iranian nuclear centers, state news company TASS priced quote Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as stating on Thursday. After Iran's rocket attack on Israel on Oct. 1, there has been speculation that Israel could strike Iran's nuclear centers, as it has actually long threatened to do. We have actually consistently warned and continue to caution, to warn ( Israel) versus even hypothetically considering the possibility of a strike on (Iranian) nuclear facilities and nuclear facilities, Ryabkov was quoted by TASS as stating. This would be a devastating development and a...