NUKE NEWZ
US Uranium Production Continues To Grow, Highest In Past 9 Years
Production of uranium from mines in the USA last year was more than double 2024’s figure, and the highest in nine years, according to the latest report of annual data from the Energy Information Administration.
US mines produced 1,388,000 pounds U3O8 (534 tU) in 2025, up from 677,000 pounds U3O8 in 2024. The 2025 figure was the highest since 2016’s production of 2,545,000 pounds, according to the government agency’s Domestic Uranium Production Report, released on 23 June. Production was from one underground mine and seven in-situ recovery operations – the same as in 2024 – with some production from “other sources” of uranium, which the Energy Information Administration (EIA) says could include mine water, mill site cleanup and mill tailings, and well field restoration.
Uranium exploration and development drilling activities in 2025 were at their highest levels since 2013 for number of holes drilled and for total footage drilled, the EIA reported. Although at the end of 2025 only one conventional uranium mill – Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill in Utah – was in operation, two remained on standby (the Shootaring Canyon Uranium Mill in Utah and the Sweetwater Uranium Project in Wyoming), while the Sheep Mountain heap leach facility in Wyoming had reached a partial permitting and licensed stage.
In-situ recovery (ISR) facilities at the Alta Mesa, Lost Creek, Smith Ranch-Highland Operation, Ross Central Processing, and Willow Creek projects were operating at the end of the year, with a combined annual capacity of 13.3 million pounds U3O8 per year – slightly down from the industry-wide ISR capacity of 14.1 million pounds in 2024. Five in-situ recovery plants, with a combined annual production capacity of 8.8 million pounds U3O8, were on standby. Seven ISR plants – in South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming – were planned, with a combined annual production capacity of 10.5 million pounds U3O8. (ISR – also known as in-situ leach – involves dissolving uranium directly from the orebody and recovering it via wells: see WNN’s guide to Uranium and the nuclear fuel cycle for more information).
Expenditures for land, exploration, drilling, production, and reclamation totalling USD234.7 million in 2025 were the highest since 2014, while total employment in the U.S. uranium production industry, at 711 full-time person-years (a person year is equal to full-time employment for one person), was 41% up from the 506 full-time person-years in 2024 and the highest employment total since 2014.
Following the Fukushima accident of 2011 – which led to all of Japan’s nuclear reactors being taken off line for an extended period – a time of weak uranium prices and an excess supply of uranium globally saw many US producers decide to curtail their operations. The last time US domestic production topped the million pounds mark was in 2017: production fell so low that numbers were withheld in 2020 to avoid disclosure of individual company data (World Nuclear Association figures put US production at just 6 tU in 2020). This left US reactor operators dependent on imports of uranium to fuel their power plants.
Since 2022, successive US Administrations have pursued strategies to revitalise and secure the domestic US nuclear fuel supply chain.
The Energy Information Administration is a statistical and analytical agency within the US Department of Energy.
The World Is Racing to Develop New Nuclear Fuels
- Advanced reactors and SMRs increasingly require fuels such as HALEU, but commercial supplies remain limited outside Russia and China.
- The U.S. and U.K. are investing heavily in domestic uranium enrichment to strengthen nuclear fuel security.
- Several reactor developers are adopting LEU+ as a more readily available alternative while domestic HALEU production expands.
In the age of the nuclear renaissance, several countries are strategising to significantly increase their nuclear energy capacity over the coming decades, as part of efforts to diversify their energy mix and boost long-term energy security. However, securing fuel to power operations has been complicated, particularly following the introduction of sanctions on Russian energy products. Now, alternative uranium fuels offer promise for the nuclear energy industry.
Nuclear fission, used in all existing nuclear power plants, is the process in which an atom's nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei and other particles. Fission can release large amounts of heat and radiation. Today’s nuclear power plants use this heat to boil water and drive steam turbines to make electricity. Operators typically use uranium fuel, enriched to up to 5 percent uranium-235 (U-235), to power nuclear reactors. Scientists worldwide are also striving to achieve and commercialise nuclear fusion, which could produce more abundant clean power.
Operators will increasingly need to use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which is enriched to more than 5 percent and less than 20 percent, to power the advanced nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) being developed today. However, HALEU is not widely commercially available at present, with only Russia and China currently producing the fuel at scale.
Following the United States ban on Russian uranium imports in 2024, the U.S. government has focused efforts on developing its domestic HALEU production capacity. As such, Centrus Energy produced over 920 kg of HALEU from a demonstration cascade at Piketon, Ohio, between October 2023 and mid-2025.
In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) earmarked $2.7 billion to expand domestic uranium enrichment capacity over the next decade. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the government announced in January 2024 that it would allocate £300 million to support HALEU production.
More operators are using TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic particle) fuel in SMRs, which is derived from HALEU. It is safer and more efficient than conventional enriched uranium, and the same amount of fuel can be concentrated in a smaller package, while more U-235 can be consumed before the smaller fuel pellets are depleted.
Each TRISO particle is covered with three layers of specialised ceramics and other materials to trap gases and provide the particle with high heat tolerance, thereby preventing the TRISO fuel from melting. In addition, TRISO fuel reactors use either helium or molten salt as a thermal transfer fluid rather than water, which is less reactive or has a higher boiling point. Each TRISO pellet functions as its own tiny containment vessel, meaning there is no need to construct massive facilities to contain meltdowns. While TRISO is more expensive than conventional nuclear fuels, it can power lighter, less expensive reactors.
However, accessing HALEU and TRISO at scale remains a challenge, as the China National Nuclear Corporation is the only commercial-scale producer of TRISO fuels, and Russia’s TENEX is the only commercial-scale supplier of HALEU. This has driven several companies in the United States and across Europe to explore alternative fuels to power SMRs, to shift reliance away from Russia and China.
Companies such as GE Hitachi, Westinghouse, and Aalo Atomics have opted for Low Enriched Uranium Plus (LEU+) rather than HALEU to power operations, as it can be purchased from existing U.S. facilities. Holtec’s SMR-300 has been developed to be powered by either conventional LEU or LEU+, which has a U-235 concentration of between 5 and 10 percent.
The Chief Technology Officer at Aalo Atomics, Yasir Arafat, explained why Aalo had chosen LEU+ as its primary fuel. Arafat stated, “We know we want to get to market fast, and we know we need to scale up to build hundreds of reactors, and we can't do that with HALEU for many years, because the U.S. is still pumping money into that HALEU machine, trying to figure out how to crack the code.” He believes that SMRs powered by LEU+ will advance faster than those powered by HALEU, as “We actually have a company that’s starting to make LEU+ here in the U.S.”
Urenco USA was given authorisation by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to produce LEU+ at its Eunice, New Mexico, facility last September, and has since been producing small quantities of the fuel. The firm expects to achieve commercial production by mid-2026.
Aalo signed a supply chain agreement with Urenco for the fuel it requires to power its Aalo-X experimental reactor, which is currently being developed as part of the DoE’s Reactor Pilot Programme. It expects to launch a commercial reactor, the Aalo Pod, powered by LEU+ by 2029.
While several companies continue to rely on Russia for their uranium supplies, some countries are looking to develop a domestic HALEU production capacity, while many companies are exploring the potential of using alternative, more easily accessible uranium fuels to power operations.
By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com
AI Demand, War, and Climate Pressure Push World Back To Nuclear
- The US and Canada each announced plans this week to build ten new nuclear reactors, the biggest coordinated nuclear push in North America in decades.
- The moves come as the AI boom, the war in Iran, and broader geopolitical instability push energy security to the top of the policy agenda worldwide.
- China added 34 gigawatts of nuclear capacity over the past decade to the US's one plant, and is on track to overtake both the US and France as the world's top nuclear producer.
Global energy markets are in turmoil as energy crises keep piling up. The energy-hungry AI boom, war in Iran, geopolitical instability, and climate pressures are creating a polycrisis for the global energy sector, and it’s just getting started. To solve multiple overlapping crises, we will need multiple overlapping solutions. An all-of-the-above solution to increasing energy security is therefore gaining favor on a global scale as the precariousness of over-reliance on limited energy supply chains becomes dangerously clear. While fossil fuels continue to provide the lion’s share of the global energy mix, alternative energy sources, especially those that are harder to blockade or embargo, are quickly gaining favor.
One of the biggest benefactors of this all-of-the-above approach to energy growth is the nuclear energy sector, which is currently undergoing a worldwide renaissance. While nuclear energy had fallen out of favor in much of the world in the wake of high-profile nuclear disasters like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima, it has come roaring back due to the undeniable advantages it offers as a zero-carbon, round-the-clock energy source with well-established supply chains and high efficiency.
“With energy security now ranking alongside climate commitments as a top policy priority, nuclear power appears positioned to play a central role in the global electricity landscape through mid-century,” the Foreign Policy Journal reported earlier this month.
Just this week, the United States and Canada unveiled separate plans to build ten new nuclear reactors each, marking a massive acceleration of nuclear energy development across North America. On Monday, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson introduced a plan for a “new civilian nuclear renaissance” that serves as a central component of a larger plan to double the capacity of the national electrical grid by 2050 to keep up with projected demand growth.
“If our goal is to double our grid and build a low-carbon economy in less than 25 years, there is no credible plan to do that without nuclear energy and the clean, reliable baseload power it provides,” Hodgson said at a news conference in Ontario. “There is no credible plan for Canada to become an energy superpower if we choose not to build upon one of the strongest energy advantages we have,” he went on to say.
Just a day later, the Trump administration announced that it plans to funnel billions of dollars in federal loans toward kickstarting a buildout of nuclear power plants across the United States as part of Trump’s desire to to “produce lasting American dominance in the global nuclear energy market.” The new Department of Energy plan, which a New York Times report describes as “complex and unusual”, would rely on utilities to put forward hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money in order to access the federal loans, with the ultimate goal of easing the sticker shock of the components for large new reactor types.
These two plans are designed to reverse a yearslong inertia in Western nuclear energy markets. In the last ten years, the United States only built one new nuclear plant, and it was years overdue and billions over budget by the time it was finally finished. Over the same time period, China added a staggering 34 gigawatts of capacity over the same time period. As a result, China is on track to overtake the United States (and France) to become the world’s biggest producer of nuclear energy within the next ten years.
The United States and Canada’s new plans pale in comparison to China’s lofty nuclear goals as outlined in the country’s newest five-year plan, but they mark a major shift in energy strategy for the two powers, and potential progress toward rebalancing the global nuclear sector.
By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com
NASA Eyes Moon Base Powered by Solar Panels and Nuclear Reactors
- NASA plans robotic missions followed by human landings and a semi-permanent, solar- and nuclear-powered lunar base near the Moon's south pole.
- China is targeting a crewed lunar landing by 2030 and aims to build a permanent Moon base with Russia by 2035.
- Both nations view sustained lunar operations as a stepping stone toward scientific research, resource utilization, and future missions to Mars.
With major plans for space travel, several governments are proposing lunar energy production, including solar and nuclear projects. In May, NASA announced plans to send robotic landers, hopping drones, and vehicles to the moon as part of the United States government’s plans to develop a lunar base.
NASA is expected to develop the machines alongside Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic, Blue Origin, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The United States aims to land its astronauts back on the moon before President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029, 60 years after it first achieved the feat.
In March, NASA announced a $20 billion programme to develop a permanent base powered by nuclear and solar energy at the Moon’s south pole by 2032. The creation of a base would allow the United States to conduct scientific experiments, potentially mine valuable resources, and assess the feasibility of a journey to Mars. NASA recently experienced success when it sent Artemis II around the Moon in April.
Before sending humans to the Moon, NASA aims to send robotic landers and hopping drones to the surface to assess its terrain. It also plans to transport delivery vehicles capable of driving astronauts across the lunar surface and carrying communications and scientific instruments.
NASA hopes to use Blue Origin's lunar lander Endurance to conduct precise landings, as well as Astrobotic’s Gryphon-1 lander. The agency expects to carry out 25 launches and transport around 4 metric tonnes of cargo to the Moon by 2029. It then aims to develop nuclear and solar power facilities on the Moon, including fission reactors.
More ambitiously, NASA wants to establish conditions for humans to live on the moon in “semi-permanent” housing by as early as 2032. It believes that the Moon’s South Pole could offer suitable conditions, as frozen water could be used for drinking water or to produce oxygen.
However, many have criticised NASA, suggesting that its timeline is likely unrealistic. Simeon Barber, a Lunar Scientist at the United Kingdom’s Open University, said, “It would not surprise me at all if China gets there first.” Barber cited NASA’s delays in acquiring a spacecraft capable of landing humans on the Moon. “The limiting step is getting the astronauts down onto the surface… It sounds to me like [NASA] feels they’re in a position where they have to start saying they’ve got plans. So, I think there’s a lot of political drive behind this,” added Barber.
The U.S. space agency is competing with China to become the first country to return humans to Earth’s surface, with China having set a 2030 deadline. China has already sent astronauts to its space station nearly a dozen times, and it is getting more ambitious in its plans to achieve a human lunar landing.
In May, China launched its Shenzhou-23 spacecraft to transport a crew of three astronauts to its Tiangong space station. One of the astronauts is set to stay in the space station for a year, a record length for the country. This will help researchers to assess long-duration human physiology in space, including the physiological effects of radiation exposure, bone density loss, and psychological stress.
Many speculate that the Chinese government aims to colonise and mine lunar territory and resources, although Beijing has rejected these claims. To achieve its 2030 goals, China must develop suitable new hardware and software for a lunar mission, as its current technology was developed for low-Earth orbit. China has so far sent only robots to the moon. However, its regular space missions are helping to improve the country’s space capabilities.
In June 2024, China became the first country to recover lunar samples from the far side of the moon, using robots. If China achieves a human landing by 2030, it aims to develop a permanent base on the moon with Russia by 2035. Compared with the NASA timeline, China’s deadline is considered more conservative. Beijing is focusing closely on safety tests of all aspects of its lunar technology.
China is also conducting the world’s first human artificial embryo experiment in space, having transported human stem cell samples to the Shenzhou-22 crew to assess the long-term residence, survival, and reproduction of humans in space. “The human artificial embryo is made of human stem cells as raw materials,” explained Yu Leqian, the project leader for the artificial embryo space science experiment. “This is not a real human embryo and does not have the ability to develop into an individual. However, it can serve as a model for studying early human development,” added Yu.
The space race is back on, with the United States and China competing to achieve the first 21st-century human moon landing. If successful, each country plans to establish a base, generate power, and eventually create conditions for humans to live semi-permanently on the Moon.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
The IAEA Faces a New Nuclear Puzzle Inside Iran
- Experts say effective IAEA inspections require broad access to verify Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles, enrichment activities, and nuclear infrastructure
- A key challenge will be locating Iran's roughly 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and ensuring it is properly downblended and cannot be re-enriched.
- Former officials argue that restoring the IAEA's "continuity of knowledge" after recent military strikes and restricted access will be one of the agency's toughest tasks.
Amid an ongoing row between Washington and Tehran over whether international monitors can verify Iranian compliance with its nuclear nonproliferation commitments, former officials have told RFE/RL that the scale, scope, and degree of access are crucial to the success of inspections.
Details on those have yet to be determined, though Raffael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the UN body "will be working on the modalities -- dates, procedures, places -- very soon."
That doesn't mean, according to experts, that the organization hasn't already drawn up a wish list for any eventual inspections.
"They almost certainly have a plan for when they go back in, what the priorities are, where they would want to go first, second, third," Laura Rockwood, a former IAEA negotiator on Iran, told RFE/RL.
"The key thing is to find out where in particular the enriched uranium is.... I'd be willing to bet you that they have in place a plan for the day they need to go back in," added Rockwood, who took part in high-level negotiations on Iran during a 28-year career at the IAEA before retiring in 2013.
Downblending Uranium
While US President Donald Trump has said that Iran has agreed to the highest level of nuclear inspections and Iran says it has no plans to allow the inspections, point No. 8 of the US-Iranian memorandum of understanding (MOU) states the two sides have agreed on a "minimum methodology" that Iran's stocks of highly enriched uranium (HEU) will be "downblended on site under the supervision of the IAEA."
But the details of this could also prove contentious.
"If IAEA inspectors were able to measure and characterize both the high and low enriched material before the downblending, then simple arithmetic gives a good sense of what the product is. They'd then want to measure to confirm and seal that product for future accountability," Matthew Sharp, who served as director for Iran nuclear issues on the US National Security Council (NSC) from 2021-2022, told RFE/RL.
"If, on the other hand, Iran does the downblending itself and then provides the product to inspectors, it would be much more difficult to know how much HEU Iran started with, which could create uncertainties as to whether all of the 60 percent or other enriched material had been downblended or if some remained out of our awareness," said Sharp, now a senior nuclear fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies.
Right now, the location of Iran's roughly 450 kilograms of HEU is unclear. After the US and Israeli air strikes, it could be buried under rubble in a bunker beneath a mountain, or the Iranian authorities may have moved some or all of it elsewhere to hide it.
But if it can be successfully located and downblended, the next step is stopping Iran from re-enriching it again at a later date.
Monitoring Enrichment
The MOU says the two parties agreed "to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal."
Experts told RFE/RL that verifying this must include a role for the IAEA.
"Any suspension on uranium enrichment is relatively meaningless if it cannot be verified and if the IAEA does not have the access to ensure that there are no covert nuclear activities related to enrichment going on elsewhere in the country," said Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.
"The level of access, the provision of information to the International Atomic Energy Agency, how quickly Iran has to comply with IAEA requests for access -- all of that is going to be crucial," she told RFE/RL.
"Once the enrichment level is low, below 5 percent, it's much safer to ship out that material. It could be stored under an international fuel bank in Kazakhstan," Davenport added.
The idea of shipping the downblended uranium out of Iran is something US officials appear keen on. At a recent background call with reporters, one official said dilution within Iran was "the floor" but that "we will push for more than that."
A senior US official said Washington would rely heavily on the UN nuclear watchdog and US technical teams for verification. "We're not in the trusting business," the official said.
The IAEA has previously verified Iran's compliance with its commitments to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which it ratified in 1970, and the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Lessons From The Past
Experts say many lessons have been learned from these experiences. They point to the importance of the IAEA's Model Additional Protocol, which provides additional tools for verification.
Rockwood, now a senior fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, was the principal author of the protocol.
"Under the additional protocol, instead of just routinely being limited to nuclear material and nuclear facilities, we have access to information and locations concerning the entire nuclear fuel cycle, including the production of centrifuges," she said. "So, if you know roughly how many centrifuges they are capable of making, you want to know where they are, and we can ask for that kind of access with an additional protocol."
Iran signed the Additional Protocol in 2003 but has not sent an official letter to the IAEA that would bring it into force.
Iran provisionally implemented its provisions between 2003 and 2006 and for a period under the JCPOA. However, noted Rockwood, "there were lots of indications of noncompliance by Iran" during this time.
This, she said, could be expected to continue -- with added complications.
Iran stopped granting the IAEA access to sites hit by US and Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities in June last year. This has disrupted what Rockwood calls the "continuity of knowledge." In other words, the IAEA has lost track of what Iran has and where it is. Also, the extent of damage is unclear, potentially complicating access, and there may also be unexploded ordnance on site.
"There will be uncertainties, and there may be more uncertainties than there were before. In fact. I would expect that to be the case. Yeah, really, a heavy slog," Rockwood said.
By RFE/RL
US gives Cameco-backed Westinghouse $17.5B nuclear boost
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is planning to provide $17.5 billion in loans to support the nationwide buildout of 10 large-scale commercial nuclear reactors, with the goal of fast-tracking their deployment by up to three years.
The funding — issued by the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) — is designated to help five eligible projects in their procurement of long-lead-time items needed to build these large nuclear power plants, the DOE said in a statement on Tuesday.
Termed as the American Nuclear Supply Chain Loans, the initiative marks another key step in President Trump’s executive order last year to reinvigorate the US nuclear industrial base.
“Just over one year ago, President Trump directed the Energy Department and its agency partners to unleash the next American nuclear renaissance,” US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. “To accomplish that mission, these conditional loans will play an important role in reviving the supply chain needed for America to once again build large-scale commercial reactors.”
Procurement for 10 reactors
According to the DOE, the $17.5 billion funding would be allocated towards five energy projects, each supporting two nuclear reactors at its site, for a total of 10 reactors.
Westinghouse, which operates the country’s only licensed large-scale advanced commercial reactors (AP1000), will partner with the selected companies to procure long-lead items at a fixed price and will have joint ownership in each project.
For each project, both Westinghouse and its partner are required to fully commit their project equity of $500 million each (or $1 billion total per project) upfront prior to accessing DOE loan funds. Purchasing for each project will be staggered based on the timing of equity commitments and other relevant factors.
Westinghouse has signed letters of intent with seven potential partners, each with identified project sites, the Department said.
1.1GW power
According to the Department, each of the AP1000 reactors will generate 1.1 gigawatts of power, with the combined power output from all 10 reactors providing enough electricity to power nearly 10 million American households.
The loan facilities’ bulk equipment purchase order structure creates a strong commitment to restarting the nation’s nuclear industry by providing the necessary financing for rebuilding the American nuclear supply chain, the DOE said.
In doing so, the loan facilities drive down costs for individual nuclear components, create significant supply chain efficiencies, and shorten timelines for nuclear deployment by up to three years, it added.
Commitment to AP1000
The loan commitment comes eight months after Westinghouse — co-owned by Brookfield Renewable Partners and Canadian uranium producer Cameco — signed an $80 billion deal with the Department of Commerce to build eight AP1000 power plants.
Currently, there are six AP1000 reactors setting operational performance and availability records worldwide with 14 additional reactors under construction and five more under contract, according to the company.
“We are pleased to see the US government make this additional commitment to expanding nuclear power capacity using the proven AP1000 reactor technology,” Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel said in a press release. “When combined with the May 23, 2025, executive orders and other US government initiatives, we believe the right incentives are being created to advance the rapid deployment of AP1000 reactors in the US.”
“The expansion of nuclear power in the United States is expected to create significant opportunities for Westinghouse and Cameco, accelerating growth in Westinghouse’s energy systems segment during the procurement and subsequent construction phase,” he added.
Shares of Cameco traded 2% higher on the news amid broader weakness in equities. Year to date, the stock is up by more than 10%. The Saskatchewan-based company has a market capitalization of $47.7 billion.
Former managers call for restart of German nuclear power plants
"Reactivated nuclear power plants offer an opportunity to return to competitive industrial electricity prices, including grid fees, in Germany in the medium term and to secure Germany's energy supply through diversification, without conflicting with European climate targets," says the letter, which is addressed to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche and the chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Jens Spahn.
"Furthermore, the repair and reactivation of existing plants is essential for maintaining expertise in this field in Germany and thus ensuring its compatibility with future technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and nuclear fusion. Regarding the readiness of industry and personnel, it should be noted that German-designed and similar nuclear power plants are in operation or under construction abroad (Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina). Despite the decommissioning of the German plants, experience with the German plant type therefore still exists in industry, fuel management, and training. Expertise, sites, infrastructure, power plant buildings, plant components, and personnel are still available in Germany and can be expanded."
The group say "further issues need to be addressed or clarified" to enable the restart of the country's reactors. These include an "ideology-free evaluation" of the electricity production possibilities, taking into account all socio-economic factors and considering the goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045; accompanied and supported by a public communication campaign. They say there must be a suspension of the dismantling of potential nuclear power plant sites and the associated cost regulations, as well as an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act and subordinate regulations. They call for bureaucracy to be reduced in the process of seeking new nuclear permits and environmental impact assessments, as well as preservation of existing know-how in educational institutions and among plant manufacturers. In addition, they say incentives for investment in the nuclear sector must be created. "Under the current framework, power plant operators themselves have no interest in resuming reactor operation due to the 'unbundling' of grids and generation, and the associated cost burden on electricity customers," the latter says. "The interest of other investors is currently thwarted only by nuclear legislation."
"You can influence the framework conditions politically. We can contribute our technical expertise," says the letter - the full-text of which has been published by German tabloid newspaper Bild. "From a purely technical point of view, the existing power plants in Germany that were recently shut down can be reactivated."
The signatories include: Horst Kemmeter, former head of the Emsland and Biblis plants; Thomas Franke, former head of the Philippsburg and Leibstadt plants; Jürgen Haag, former head of Emsland; and Hans-Joachim Mueller from the Brokdorf nuclear power plant.
As a technical basis, the signatories refer to the new report prepared by the Radiant Energy Group in collaboration with German pro-nuclear group Nuklearia, which examines the feasibility, timeline, and economic viability of restarting the most recently decommissioned plants.
"Since the reactivation can utilise existing plant components and the existing workforce at the site, it is highly attractive both economically and in terms of timing – both compared to new construction projects abroad and other energy sources," says the report, titled Recommissioning German Nuclear Power Plants - Economic Viability and Outlook. "Reactivation modernises the plants, equipping them for decades of further operation. The resulting levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) is so low that reactivation would be attractive to investors even without government support, provided policymakers pave the way. This also represents Germany's best opportunity to once again offer industry internationally competitive electricity prices without the need for subsidies."
The report concludes that up to 14 reactors can be modernised and, in some cases, even have their output increased.
"The decision to reactivate the plants should be made as soon as possible to avoid further damage to the facilities caused by dismantling," it says. "However, since even more extensively dismantled plants are still eligible for recommissioning, this option remains open for several years should the decision to reactivate be delayed. The report assumes that dismantling will cease and preparations for reactivation will begin in January 2027."
Background
Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan in March 2011, the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel decided it would phase out its use of nuclear power by the end of 2022 at the latest. Prior to the accident, Germany was obtaining around one-quarter of its electricity from nuclear power.
In August 2011, the 13th amendment of the Nuclear Power Act came into effect, which underlined the political will to phase out nuclear power in Germany. As a result, eight units were closed down immediately: Biblis A and B, Brunsbüttel, Isar 1, Krümmel, Neckarwestheim 1, Phillipsburg 1 and Unterweser.
The Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen C plants were permanently shut down at the end of December 2021. The country's final three units - Emsland, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 - shut down in April 2023. All the units are now at various stages of decommissioning.
(Click here for a full timeline of Germany's nuclear phaseout).
India inaugurates nuclear-powered hydrogen production facility
The new facility at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, was inaugurated by Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary and Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission. It integrates the hydrogen production technology developed by the Department of Atomic Energy's (DAE) Bhabha Atomic Research Centre with IGCAR's advanced fast reactor expertise.
"The successful integration of nuclear process heat with hydrogen generation marks a pioneering technological breakthrough and opens a promising pathway for large-scale, carbon-free hydrogen production using advanced nuclear reactors," the Department of Atomic Energy said.
Hydrogen is widely regarded as a key energy carrier for future energy systems and is expected to play a pivotal role in the global transition towards clean and sustainable energy systems - provided it can be made without carbon emissions. Industrial production of hydrogen is currently dominated by steam-reforming methane from fossil fuels, and electrolysis (splitting water with electricity): according to information from the International Energy Agency, less than 1% of the global production of 97 million tonnes in 2023 was low-emissions hydrogen, although in its 2024 review of hydrogen production, the agency said low-emission hydrogen could reach 49 million tonnes per year by 2030.
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(Image: Department of Atomic Energy)
Thermochemical production of hydrogen involves separating water into hydrogen and oxygen through a series of chemical reactions at high temperatures. The copper-chlorine - or Cu–Cl - thermochemical cycle is considered one of the most promising ways of producing hydrogen due to its relatively lower operating temperatures and higher thermodynamic efficiency, according to DAE. "By harnessing nuclear heat from fast reactors, the process significantly reduces dependence on fossil fuels and eliminates greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional hydrogen production methods," the Department said.
The Fast Breeder Test Reactor - also known as the FBTR - is a sodium-cooled test reactor which first started up at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in 1985, gradually increasing its power to 32 MW (thermal) in 2018 before finally reaching its nameplate capacity of 40 MWt in 2022. The reactor has an underpinning role in India's preparation for a thorium-based closed fuel cycle.
The commissioning of the facility represents the culmination of extensive research, process development, engineering design, equipment fabrication, installation, testing and commissioning efforts undertaken jointly by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research , DAE said. It will provide operational experience, facilitate further optimisation of the Cu–Cl process, and support future research aimed at scaling up nuclear-assisted hydrogen production technologies for commercial deployment. Nuclear-coupled hydrogen production features in India's nuclear energy strategy: a 5 MWt high temperature gas cooled reactor that could be coupled with thermochemical hydrogen production is currently being developed, with a lead unit proposed for construction at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's Vizag R&D campus in Andhra Pradesh.
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IGCAR (Image: DAE)
"The integration of nuclear energy with emerging clean energy technologies such as hydrogen production represents a strategic pathway towards a sustainable energy future," Mohanty said at the inauguration of the new facility. "Nuclear power, with its unique ability to provide reliable carbon-free electricity as well as high-temperature process heat, is ideally suited to support large-scale hydrogen production while contributing to India's energy security, decarbonisation goals and long-term sustainable development objectives. I congratulate the scientists, engineers and technical teams of BARC and IGCAR whose sustained dedication, innovation and technical excellence have transformed an advanced scientific concept into an operational reality. This achievement is a testament to India's growing capabilities in advanced nuclear technologies and clean energy systems."
"Nuclear power is not only a source of reliable, round-the-clock, carbon free electricity. It is also a powerful enabler of strategic technology that can support India's clean energy transition," Mohanty said in DAE's announcement of the achievement on YouTube.
World's oldest operating nuclear units back on India's grid
Tarapur 1 and 2 are BWR units commissioned at the site in Maharashtra in 1969 as India's first commercial nuclear power plant. Built by GE on a turnkey contract, the units were originally rated at 200 MWe but were subsequently downrated to 160 MWe (gross). They underwent six months' refurbishment in 2005-06, and have both been offline since 2020 for major refurbishment work.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board announced last month that it had approved the restart and continued operation of unit 2 at the Tarapur power plant in Maharashtra on 7 May following the completion of the refurbishment undertaken by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
The refurbishment included the complete replacement of reactor coolant recirculation piping with forged piping and fittings made of advanced corrosion-resistant stainless steel, the regulator said, as well as safety upgrades including the commissioning of the reactor containment filtered venting system and the alternate cooling water system. During the extended outage, inspections of critical reactor components such as reactor pressure vessel welds were carried out as part of the assessment of the unit's ageing status and residual operating life. "The evaluations have shown that the reactor can continue safe operation with the normal maintenance and surveillance programme," the AERB said.
The regulator has given permission for the unit - known as TAPS (for Tarapur Atomic Power Station) unit 2 - to operate for a further 10 years. It issued a permit for TAPS unit 1 to restart after its refurbishment last December: that unit is now operating at its rated power of 160 MWe.
NPCIL said, in a post on social media site X, that the reconnection of both units was "a major milestone in India's nuclear power programme … this achievement reaffirms the enduring legacy of India's first nuclear power station and reflects the dedication, technical expertise and unwavering commitment of Team NPCIL. For over five decades, TAPS-1 & 2 have contributed to the nation's energy security and development while providing clean, reliable and low-carbon electricity. The successful operation of both units marks another significant milestone in India's nuclear energy journey and demonstrates the strength of indigenous capabilities, engineering excellence and a robust safety culture. As India advances towards a cleaner and more secure energy future, Tarapur continues to stand as a symbol of innovation, resilience and technological excellence".
As well as the BWR units, the Tarapur Atomic Power Station site is home to two operating Indian-designed pressurised heavy water reactors, Tarapur 3 and 4, connected to the grid in 2005 and 2006, respectively. It has also been proposed as the site for the construction of the lead units of two Indian-designed small modular reactors: the BSMR-200, a 200 MWe reactor based on pressurised water reactor technology, and the 55 MWe SMR-55.
Blykalla teams up with Hitachi for SMR deployment
The collaboration brings together Blykalla's advanced reactor technology with Switzerland-based Hitachi Energy's expertise in electrification, grid integration, and energy industry software to support the integration of reliable, fossil-free power into future energy systems. Through the MoU, the companies will jointly optimise the electrical and grid integration design for Blykalla's reactor type, covering transmission-level connection, on-site electrical systems, and digital monitoring. It also enables Hitachi Energy to integrate its offering into a standard solution for small modular reactors (SMRs).
Focus areas include, but are not limited to, conceptual designs for grid connection and network integration, on-site electrical architecture, digital tools for construction and operation, and a combined offering for customers with the highest, most constant power demands, beginning with data centres and energy-intensive industry.
"By integrating Blykalla's power generation with Hitachi Energy's solutions for electrical infrastructure, the collaboration aims to accelerate the commercialisation and deployment of advanced nuclear solutions across Europe and the United States," Hitachi Energy said.
"As we move toward commercialisation, this collaboration strengthens our ability to deliver complete energy solutions," said Blykalla CEO Jacob Stedman. "Hitachi Energy's expertise in electrification makes them a strong partner to help bring our technology to market, and positions us to meet the growing global demand for clean, reliable power."
Tobias Hansson, Country Managing Director of Hitachi Energy Sweden, added: "We need reliable and low-carbon power solutions that can be integrated efficiently into the energy system as electricity demand continues to grow across industry and digital infrastructure. By combining Blykalla's innovative reactor technology with our expertise in electrical infrastructure, we can help enable solutions that support industrial growth and the broader energy transition."
Blykalla - formerly called LeadCold - is a spin-off from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where lead-cooled reactor systems have been under development since 1996. The company - founded in 2013 as a joint stock company - is developing the SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor). The company's goal is for its first 140 MWt/55 MWe SEALER-55 commercial reactor to be ready for operation in the early 2030s.
In May, Blykalla submitted an application to the government to construct a power plant in Norrsundet, Gävle, in east central Sweden, comprising six SEALER reactors. The proposed plant will have a total generating capacity of 330 MWe. Earlier this month, the company applied for government financing for the plant.
Rolls-Royce SMR plans manufacturing development centre in Derby
The company said Pioneer Works will be a non-nuclear site, housing specialist engineering and manufacturing projects that are critical to the successful deployment of its first power plants. It will create and sustain around 40 highly skilled, long-term roles as the facility ramps up, spanning advanced engineering, welding, testing, precision assembly and manufacturing development, while helping train the next generation in these skills.
The GBP12 million (USD16 million) facility - set to open later this year - will develop and validate the techniques, technologies and processes required to assemble the primary circuit and highest integrity components that sit at the heart of the nuclear power plant.
The Pioneer Works site will operate alongside Rolls-Royce SMR's existing EXPERI facility at the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. EXPERI will continue to play a role in developing Rolls-Royce SMR's unique modular approach to delivering proven nuclear technologies. Together, these two facilities will underpin Rolls-Royce SMR's delivery plan - helping move from design and prototype manufacture through to full modular assembly and power plant delivery.
"Pioneer Works will be at the centre of our ambition to transform the way nuclear projects are delivered, creating highly skilled jobs, supporting the wider supply chain and harnessing British engineering know-how to drive forward the next generation of nuclear power," said Ruth Todd, Rolls-Royce SMR's Operations and Supply Chain Director. "I'm also incredibly proud that this facility will act as our first training centre to create a future workforce which will help build Rolls-Royce SMR's 'factory-built' nuclear power plants around the world."
A cross-section of a Rolls-Royce SMR power plant (Image: Rolls-Royce SMR)
The Rolls-Royce SMR is a 470 MWe design based on a small pressurised water reactor. It will provide consistent baseload generation for at least 60 years. Ninety percent of the SMR - measuring about 16 metres by 4 metres - will be built in factory conditions, limiting activity on-site primarily to assembly of pre-fabricated, pre-tested, modules which significantly reduces project risk and has the potential to shorten build schedules.
In October 2024, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected by ČEZ to deploy up to 3 GW of electricity in the Czech Republic, and ČEZ took a 20% stake in Rolls-Royce SMR. The plan is for the first SMR to be deployed in the area of the Temelín site (which already has two gigawatt-scale VVER-100 units), with further projects being developed for coal-fired power plant sites, including Tušimice. Rolls-Royce SMR has signed an early works agreement with ČEZ to progress licensing, permitting and site-specific design for deployment.
In June 2025, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the UK government's preferred technology for the country's first SMR project. A final investment decision is expected to be taken in 2029. In November, the UK government announced that Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, would be the site to host the three Rolls-Royce SMR units. It said the site - where a Magnox plant is being decommissioned - could potentially host up to eight SMRs. In April, Rolls-Royce SMR signed a contract with Great British Energy - Nuclear (GBE-N) to begin site-specific design and delivery activities for the UK's first SMRs at Wylfa.
In May, GBE-N launched a contest to find a name for the SMR plant to be built at the Wylfa site. The company has now announced that, after hundreds of suggestions were submitted by locals, a panel of young people from Anglesey has decided the plant will be called Gwyndod Power Station. "The name was chosen because it honours the specific identity, resilience, and unique character of the island's people, placing the local community directly at the heart of the project's identity," GBE-N said. "The name is derived from the old name for the region's dialect, Gwyndodeg."
Earlier this month, Swedish nuclear project company Videberg Kraft - owned by Vattenfall and Industrikraft, with the Swedish state due to become majority owner - selected Rolls-Royce SMR as supplier for its project on the Värö Peninsula near Ringhals, where it plans to site three of the UK-based firm's SMRs.
Oil and mining giants among firms exploring nuclear's industrial use potential
The consortium was launched last year by The Open Group, a global vendor-neutral technology and standards organisation, with founder members also including ConocoPhillips, Freeport-McMoRan and steel producer Nucor. The report focuses on the hard-to-decarbonise sectors of offshore energy, refining and petrochemicals, mining and energy-intensive manufacturing.
Industrial end users make up the consortium, with the Application Scenarios White Paper aiming to "demonstrate how modular nuclear solutions can be deployed at varying scales and environments, from remote, off‑grid operations to large industrial hubs, delivering high‑reliability baseload energy - at the same time as reducing exposure to volatile fuel costs and grid instability".
Mohan Kalyanaraman, Technology Acquisition Advisor, ExxonMobil said: "The Industrial Advanced Nuclear Consortium was formed to unlock the potential of advanced nuclear for industrial applications - bringing together end users to clearly define what industry needs from nuclear. Our goal is to aggregate and communicate those requirements to enable solutions that can deliver both heat and power reliably and at scale, with the aim of making nuclear a viable option for industrial projects by 2030."
Steve Nunn, President and CEO, The Open Group, said: "This first set of application scenarios provides a clear end‑user perspective on where and how advanced nuclear can be deployed - detailing real energy needs, operational requirements, and integration challenges. By sharing this aggregated view, we aim to help the nuclear industry better understand and respond to industrial demand."
The report focuses in particular on the potential for small and micro modular reactors (SMRs/MMRs) which "can fill the requirement of a low-carbon baseload heat and power source by acting as nuclear boilers and behind‐the‐meter generators that integrate directly with industrial energy systems. In petrochemical complexes, refineries, and LNG facilities, nuclear heat can displace gas‐fired cogeneration and boilers supplying high‐reliability steam and electricity while reducing consumption of natural gas. Offshore, nuclear modules on floating production, storage, and offloading, or dedicated platforms can replace turbines powered by produced‐gas and provide stable power and low‐grade process heat for decades without the emissions and maintenance profile of conventional generation. In remote mining and upstream fields, modular nuclear offers a way to address the constraints of limited grid capacity, intermittent wind/solar resources, and high logistics costs associated with diesel, LNG, or Compressed Natural Gas fuels."
It also notes the variation in scale of potential applications: "At one end of the spectrum, MMRs can provide a few megawatts of electricity and modest low‐temperature heat to remote well pads, central oil‐water processing facilities, or small industrial sites, with the ability to relocate units as fields mature or developments shift. At the other end, multi‐module SMR configurations can support large, integrated refineries, petrochemical hubs, and major mining operations requiring combined electrical and thermal loads in the hundreds of megawatts. Maritime concepts extend this modularity offshore, where nuclear platforms or barge‐based units can serve multiple facilities over multi‐decade field life."
The report says: "In summary, heavy industrial sectors - including refining, petrochemicals, LNG, mining, upstream O&G, and maritime operations - depend on continuous, high‐reliability heat and power that is currently supplied by fossil fuel-based systems, resulting in carbon emissions, fuel price volatility, and grid risks. To credibly achieve a low‐carbon future for industry, modular nuclear represents a compelling option in the portfolio of available solutions. Advances in SMRs and MMRs open the potential for modular nuclear to be a practical, low‐carbon alternative that can be co-located with industrial facilities to provide dependable baseload heat and power, with the grid and renewables serving complementary roles."
The four application scenarios said to be most relevant to the consortium members are: Maritime heat and power; Nuclear cogeneration of heat and power for refining, petrochemicals, LNG; Remote power and heat for O&G exploration and production, mining; Electricity-intensive industrial loads - aluminum smelter and steelmaking.
The consortium says its next steps will be "to define the technical architectures for these scenarios" as well as look at the regulatory considerations, technical integration challenges and business and commercial models to enable deployment. It says the consortium will engage "across the full nuclear and industrial ecosystem: end users, EPCs, utilities, technology developers, suppliers, regulators, academia, national labs, policymakers, finance, and many more".
Second Taipingling unit starts up
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On 30 April, China's National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) issued a 40-year operating licence for Taipingling 2. The first nuclear fuel loading operation - which involved inserting a total of 177 fuel assemblies into the core of the reactor - was completed on 3 May.
At 09:45 (local time) on 24 June, the first criticality control point of Taipingling unit 2 was officially signed and released, marking the start of the reactor's criticality operation phase.
The 1,116 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor reached criticality for the first time at 00:22 on 25 June.
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Workers mark the achievement of first criticality (Image: CGN)
China General Nuclear (CGN) said the attainment of first criticality "lays a solid foundation for subsequent grid connection and commissioning" of Taipingling 2.
The Taipingling plant will eventually have six Hualong One reactors, with a total investment exceeding CNY120 billion (USD17 billion). The construction of the first and second units began in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Hot testing of unit 1 was completed in September 2024, with that of unit 2 completed in July 2025. Unit 1 attained first criticality on 3 February this year and was connected to the grid on 13 February. It entered commercial operation on 19 April.
Construction of the second phase of the Taipingling plant - units 3 and 4 - was approved by China's State Council in December 2023, with construction of unit 3 getting under way in June last year. The first nuclear safety-related concrete for the reactor building of unit 4 was poured last month.
Once all six units are completed and put into operation, the annual power generation will exceed 55 billion kilowatt-hours, CGN said. It will also reduce standard coal consumption by about 16.65 million tonnes and carbon dioxide emissions by about 50.82 million tonnes annually.
