The U.S. Energy Department on Nov. 19 announced a $16 million funding opportunity for the research and development of High-Assay Low-Enrichment, HALEU, transportation technology. The funding aims to develop viable and cost-effective solutions to transport HALEU, and to obtain licensing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the new technology. The Energy Act of 2020…...
The White House on Nov. 12 announced a new framework to ramp up domestic nuclear energy capacity, with an ambitious target to reach 200 gigawatts (GW) by 2050. The roadmap sets two short-term targets of adding 35 GW of new nuclear capacity by 2035 and sustaining 15 GW of annual nuclear production by 2040. To…...
Average U.S. nuclear capacity outages declined to around 2.6 gigawatts (GW) per day during summer 2024, down 0.5 GW compared to summer 2023, according to an Nov. 5 report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. nuclear capacity outages were mostly evident in mid-July and early August, averaging 3.1 GW per day during the…...
Co-locating energy-intensive data centers with power generation facilities is viewed as a strategic solution to access large sources of electricity without lengthy interconnection processes or extensive grid
upgrades. Recently, technology firms have turned to nuclear power for its steady, carbon-free output to directly power these high-demand facilities. However, the co-location trend has raised concerns over grid reliability and potential cost impacts.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Nov. 1 issued an order rejecting amendments to an interconnection service agreement between PJM Interconnection, Talen Energy, and PPL Electric Utilities that would have increased co-located load capacity at Talen’s Susquehanna nuclear plant to power an Amazon data center. The proposal sought to expand the capacity from 300 to…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Oct.16 launched a $900 million funding opportunity to support projects that will facilitate initial domestic deployment of Generation III+ small modular reactor technologies. Applications are due by Jan. 17, 2025. The funding comes from allocations in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 utilizing funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and…...
The U.S. Energy Department has announced the closing of up to $1.52 billion in a loan guarantee to Holtec Palisades LLC to recommission the 800-megawatt (MW) Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. Further, the U.S. Agriculture Department has awarded more than $1.3 billion in grants to two rural electric cooperatives to lower the cost of electricity…...
Recent power purchase agreements between nuclear plant owners and data centers highlight data center operators’ efforts to secure emissions-free power, but future electricity demand is subject to uncertainties, according to an Oct. 1 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Factors such as the size of new data center capacity, the time required for each…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Aug. 29 announced a new commercial agreement between Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) and Regnum Technology Group, a U.S. nuclear technology project developer, to deploy a NuScale VOYGR-12 small modular reactor plant in Ghana. The deal was signed at the second annual U.S.-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya. Regnum…...
U.S. energy consumption declined one percent year-on-year during 2023 to 94 quadrillion British thermal units (quads), according to a July 3 report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Fossil fuels, which consist of coal, natural gas and petroleum accounted for around 83 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. Non fossil fuels, which consist of…...
Advanced nuclear solutions are garnering broad support with a slate of initiatives including funding research, developing regulatory frameworks, and planning or constructing advanced reactors. The ability of nuclear energy to produce carbon-free power is increasingly considered critical for decarbonizing the power sector to fight climate change while ensuring a reliable electricity supply.
The U.S. Senate last week approved President Biden’s three nominees to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) bringing the agency to its full complement of five commissioners. Industry and clean energy groups welcomed the move saying that a fully staffed commission is crucial to address challenges posed by an aging electric grid, the…...