DOE announces funding for innovative nuclear technology

Ten projects have been selected to receive a total of up to USD24 million in funding under a new programme from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) initiative. The projects selected include a transportable gas-cooled reactor, and technology to support load-following, improve safety and reduce costs in advanced reactors. ARPA-E’s …

NASA successfully tests a nuclear reactor that works in space

NASA and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have successfully demonstrated a new nuclear reactor power system that could enable long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars, and destinations beyond. NASA announced the results of its Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) experiment, during a news conference Wednesday at its Glenn Research Center in …

USA and France Sign Statements of Intent on Advanced Fast Neutron Sodium-Cooled Reactors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry and François Jacq, Chairman of France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), seized the occasion of President Trump’s Head-of-State welcome for French President Emmanuel Macron to sign two Statements of Intent (SOIs). The signing ushers in a new era of DOE-CEA research and development (R&D) cooperation …

$60 Million for U.S. Industry Awards for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 13 projects to receive approximately $60 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development for advanced nuclear technologies. These selections are the first under DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy’s U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced …

Saudi Arabia Has Options if U.S. Walks From Nuclear Power Deal

Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih speaks during an interview in Washington, DC, U.S. March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Valerie Volcovici Saudi Arabia has international partners it can work with if the United States walks away from a potential deal on nuclear power technology over concerns about nuclear proliferation, Khalid al-Falih, the kingdom’s energy minister, said in …

Canada begins small modular reactor strategy roadmap

Canada has launched a process to prepare a roadmap to explore the potential of on- and off-grid applications for small modular reactor (SMR) technology. The roadmap will help position Canada to become a global leader in the emerging SMR market, according to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). The roadmapping process, which is part of NRCan’s Energy …

Top Energy Department official hopes small reactors can help fading nuclear industry overcome ‘tipping point’

The U.S. is at a “tipping point” with its fading nuclear power sector, and the industry’s future is increasingly reliant on developing small nuclear reactors, a top Energy Department official said Tuesday morning. “We are in an extremely challenging moment in time, an inflection point in terms of the future of our nuclear fleet,” said …

New nuclear power plant coming to Idaho Falls

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) – Idaho Falls will soon be home to brand new nuclear technology. NuScale Power, a nuclear power company, has created a new nuclear technology to provide energy to cities and Idaho Falls is getting the first power plant. The plant for small modular reactors will be built on the Idaho National Lab site. It will contain …

Small modular reactors generating interest among municipalities in Finland

Small modular reactors are stirring up interest among municipalities in Finland, according to Tekniikka & Talous. The innovation and technology-oriented weekly has revealed that the list of municipalities that are exploring the possibility of commissioning a small modular reactor includes Espoo, Helsinki, Kirkkonummi and Nurmijärvi. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are a type of nuclear fission reactors …