ICYMI: Senate Agrees to Manchin’s Bipartisan NDAA Amendment to Onshore Nuclear Fuel Production

Today, the U.S. Senate voted 96-3 to agree to Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, S.Amdt.999, a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 that directs the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a nuclear fuel program with the purpose of onshoring …

Niger Army Chief Backs Attempted Coup in West African Country

Amadou Abdramane, center, during a televised statement, on July 26.Source: Télé Sahel/AFP/Getty Images Niger’s army chief has backed a coup in the West African country, a day after President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by soldiers. The army announced its support for the coup plotters in order to “avoid bloodshed,” it said in a letter released on social …

Canada’s nuclear drive picks up speed

Canada’s plans to make nuclear power a central part of its decarbonization strategy are taking shape with major announcements around large nuclear builds, small modular reactors and medical isotopes. Nuclear power accounts for around 15% of Canada’s electricity generation with most capacity in Ontario where some 40% of the population resides. A total of 19 …

BILL SUMMARY: Energy and Water Development Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill

The Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act provides $58.095 billion in total funding for the Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and independent agencies.   “Our energy and water infrastructure need significant investment to meet the needs of Americans throughout the country, particularly in the West,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein …

Huizenga calls repowering Palisades ‘a worthwhile exploration’

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga last week sought an opinion from President Joe Biden’s administration on the restart of Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. Palisades owner Holtec International is currently seeking federal funds to restart the plant, which closed in May 2022 and is in the midst of decommissioning. Huizenga, R-Zeeland, brought up the efforts during a subcommittee …

Korean, Polish construction firms team up for nuclear projects

The signing of the MoU between Daewoo E&C and ERBUD (Image: ERBUD) Among the agreements signed during a Polish-Korean business forum on 14 July was a memorandum of understanding between Poland’s KGHM Polska Miedź SA and South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corporation on the implementation of low and zero-emission technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs). Daewoo …

France, India expand cooperation to include SMRs

France and India are to launch a cooperation programme on small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors. The announcement came after a meeting in Paris between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of France Emmanuel Macron, during which they noted progress made on the six-EPR power plant project in Jaitapur, India. At the invitation …

Slovakia’s JAVYS signs AP1000 and AP300 MoUs

From left: Petr Brzezina, President, Westinghouse Czech Republic and Slovakia; Elias Gedeon, SVP, Westinghouse; US Ambassador to Slovakia Gautam Rana; Pavol Štuller (Image: Westinghouse) Westinghouse Electric Company has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Slovakia’s JAVYS on the potential deployment of its AP1000 reactors and AP300 small modular reactors (SMRs) in the country. Westinghouse said …

COP28 Presidency releases plan to enable energy transition

 Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and COP28 President-Designate, has called on governments, industry, and all stakeholders to “disrupt business as usual” and take decisive action to tackle the climate crisis. Speaking at the Ministerial on Climate Action in Brussels, convened by the environment ministers of the European Union, …