US-based Terrestrial Energy Submits IMSR Graphite Topical Report to Advance Molten Salt Reactor Licensing Preparation

US fourth-generation molten salt nuclear power plant developer Terrestrial Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: IMSR) recently announced that it has submitted a graphite topical report to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The report is intended to provide a regulatory basis for the use of graphite, a key core component of the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR), in commercial power plant operation. Terrestrial Energy CEO Simon Irish stated that this is the second of at least three IMSR topical reports the company plans to submit to the NRC in 2026, and is part of its structured regulatory engagement plan, ultimately...

2026-09-11

US ONE Nuclear Plans Up to 1 GW Small Modular Reactor Project in Louisiana

ONE Nuclear Energy LLC (ONE Nuclear) announced the launch of its Louisiana project portfolio, with a planned total installed capacity of 5 GW, covering dispatchable generation, grid-scale battery energy storage, data center infrastructure, and advanced nuclear development pathways. The portfolio includes the Cayman Project, the Amberjack Project, and the Barracuda Project. Among them, the one directly related to nuclear power is the Amberjack Project, which aims to build a multi-unit small modular reactor station fleet with an installed capacity of up to 1 GW. ONE Nuclear CEO Richard Taylor stated that the Louisiana project portfolio is designed to meet the growing US electricity demand in different but complementary ways...

2026-09-11

US-based Deep Fission Completes Full-Scale Reactor Vessel Deployment and Retrieval Demonstration Using Commercial Drilling Equipment

On September 3, 2026, advanced nuclear energy development company Deep Fission, Inc. (stock ticker: FISN) announced that it had completed a deployment and retrieval demonstration of a full-scale non-nuclear prototype reactor vessel using standard commercial drilling and hoisting equipment. The company is developing a technology pathway that deploys small modular pressurized water reactors in boreholes approximately 1 mile deep underground. In this demonstration, a commercial drilling and hoisting team lowered a 20-foot-long prototype reactor vessel into a 34-inch-diameter, 100-foot-deep borehole, and after completing alignment, retrieved it to the surface. Deep Fission stated that the equipment used in the demonstration was all standard equipment already in commercial...

2026-09-11

U.S. Plans to Deploy Navy's First Shore-Based Advanced Microreactor in Indiana by 2028

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced on September 9, 2026, that it plans to install an advanced nuclear Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) at Naval Weapons Station Crane (NWS Crane) in Indiana no later than September 2028. This is Indiana's first nuclear reactor project for power generation and an early project of the U.S. Department of Defense to advance advanced nuclear energy deployment at military installations. According to the announcement, the project is jointly advanced by the U.S. Army's Janus Program, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and Indiana...

2026-09-10

Czech Temelín Nuclear Power Plant to Load US Nuclear Fuel by Year-End

On September 9, the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant in the southern Czech Republic will begin using nuclear fuel produced by the US company Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse). Czech energy company ČEZ has obtained permission from the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety to use this type of fuel at the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant. The Temelín Nuclear Power Plant has two units in total. According to the plan, Westinghouse nuclear fuel will be loaded into the reactor core during the outage and maintenance of Unit 1 at the end of this year. The Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant, located in the southeastern Czech Republic, also plans to switch to Westinghouse fuel. Existing Czech nuclear power plants currently use Russian nuclear fuel, supplied by TVEL Fuel Company, a subsidiary of the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom...

2026-09-10

U.S. Nuclear Power Construction Included as Candidate in South Korea's U.S. Investment Consultations

On September 10, 2026, consultations between South Korea and the United States over a $350 billion U.S. investment plan entered a late stage. In addition to the Encinar gas combined-cycle power project in Texas being regarded as the first investment candidate, the U.S. side is said to have also proposed using a considerable portion of the $200 billion in strategic investment for nuclear power plant construction. According to related information, the U.S. nuclear power construction plan includes up to eight large nuclear reactors, and South Korea's APR1400 reactor design has also been included in discussions for some projects. South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said regarding the nuclear power projects that relevant parties are in consultations, but specific details have not yet been determined. Texas's rapidly growing electricity demand is an important background for the South Korea-U.S. discussions on...

2026-09-10

US Island Roadhouse Discloses Design for Nuclear-Powered AI Data Center Campus in Missouri

On September 9, 2026, Island Roadhouse Data Centers disclosed the design for an integrated, low-water-use, nuclear-powered data center campus it plans to build in Missouri. The campus is planned to operate behind the meter, generating power on-site to meet the electricity demand of artificial intelligence computing loads, and to cool high-density data halls through a closed-loop warm-water liquid cooling and dry heat rejection system, while supplying waste heat to third-party industrial users through a campus thermal network. The design primarily targets the power supply and grid interconnection timeline constraints in AI infrastructure construction. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)...

2026-09-10

US Centrus and Radiant Sign Long-Term HALEU Supply Agreement

On September 9, 2026, US nuclear fuel and services supplier Centrus Energy Corp. (Centrus) and mobile nuclear microreactor developer Radiant announced that the two parties have signed a multi-year definitive contract. Under the agreement, Centrus will supply high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel for Radiant's Kaleidos microreactor to support the deployment of multiple reactors. The agreement stipulates that Centrus will begin delivering HALEU by the end of this decade. The arrangement will add a domestic US fuel source for Radiant as it advances the commercial expansion of the Kaleidos reactor, and will also add a new HALEU customer for Centrus. The agreement also includes Ra...

2026-09-10

Lightbridge Approved to Conduct Advanced Nuclear Fuel Irradiation Testing at Idaho National Laboratory

On September 9, Lightbridge Corporation (Lightbridge, Nasdaq: LTBR), a developer of advanced nuclear fuel technology, announced that it has completed the signing of Project Task Statement No. 2 (PTS No. 2) under the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), the operating contractor of Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Under this task statement, Lightbridge will gain access to the loop test facility of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory to conduct irradiation testing of Lightbridge Fuel™ cladded fuel rods. The loop...

2026-09-10

US-based Thea Energy Unveils Helios Stellarator Fusion Power Plant Design

On September 9, 2026, Thea Energy, Inc., a fusion energy company based in Kearny, New Jersey, announced that 16 peer-reviewed papers on its Helios fusion power plant design had been published in a special issue of Fusion Engineering and Design (FED). The special issue, titled "Thea Energy's Helios Stellarator Power Plant Design," presents the Helios architecture and its key engineering solutions. According to Thea Energy, Helios is a stellarator fusion power plant architecture oriented toward commercial deployment requirements, integrating magnet coils that can be controlled by software to adapt to actual operating conditions, a stellarator divertor exhaust system for continuous fusion power generation operations, and a sectorized maintenance scheme supporting long-term operation...

2026-09-10

Finland's Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant Signs 22-Year Power Purchase Agreement with Google

On September 9, 2026, Google announced that it will invest at least 13 billion euros in Finland over the next two years for artificial intelligence infrastructure construction. The investment includes building and expanding data centers in Finland, along with supporting energy projects. Among them, Google signed a 22-year power purchase agreement with Finnish energy company Fortum to purchase up to 50% of the electricity generated by the Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. Google President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat stated that this arrangement is Google's first nuclear energy deal outside the United States. Google said this investment is its largest single investment in Europe, and the related infrastructure will support services including Gemini, Search, Maps, and YouTube. Lovi...

2026-09-10

United States and Colombia Sign Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding

On September 8, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, and Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Blas Escobar attended the signing ceremony of two memoranda of understanding in Barranquilla, Colombia. The related report was published and updated on September 9, 2026. Under the signing arrangement, the first document is a framework memorandum of understanding between the U.S. government and the Colombian government on securing the mining and processing supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements; the second document is a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. government and the Government of the Republic of Colombia on strategic civil nuclear cooperation. Following the signing ceremony, Rubio stated that the United States and Colombia...

2026-09-09

West Virginia Joins Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Center Program

On September 9, 2026, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced that the state has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to join the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Center (NLIC) program, becoming the sixth participating state. Earlier this year, the DOE had identified Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma, and Louisiana as potential host states. With West Virginia's addition, the state will work with the DOE to evaluate potential sites and advance possible host agreements. According to reports, the NLIC program aims to support activities across the full nuclear fuel lifecycle...

2026-09-09

U.S. Bluecore Energy Raises $50 Million to Advance Floating Small Modular Reactors

On September 8, 2026, U.S.-based Bluecore Energy announced the completion of a $50 million seed financing round to accelerate the development, testing, and deployment of its floating nuclear energy systems. Bluecore Energy is developing small modular water-cooled reactors that can operate on floating barges, with target applications including ports, utilities, data centers, offshore infrastructure, and communities facing energy shortages. The round was led by Silverton Partners, with existing investor Slauson & Co continuing its participation, alongside Harlem Capital, Precursor Ventures, LMNT, Visible Hands VC, Karman Ventures, and others. Bluecore ...

2026-09-09

South Korea and Westinghouse Electric Plan to Advance Cooperation on 8 Nuclear Power Plants in the U.S.

According to a September 9 report by South Korean media, South Korea and the United States are coordinating an investment cooperation plan to build up to 8 large-scale nuclear power plants in the U.S., with a total project scale of approximately $120 billion, equivalent to about 161 trillion Korean won. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) are expected to collaborate on the project. The report said the preliminary plans under discussion include: at least 2 of the 8 nuclear power plants using the Korean-designed APR1400 reactor, with the remaining units likely adopting Westinghouse AP1000 technology. Specific site selection, construction entities, operational arrangements, final reactor types...

2026-09-09

US ONE Nuclear Advances 1 GW SMR Project in Louisiana

ONE Nuclear Energy LLC (referred to as "ONE Nuclear") recently announced that its Amberjack small modular reactor (SMR) project in Louisiana, USA, has entered the technical and environmental assessment phase. The project is planned as a standalone, scalable multi-unit SMR campus targeting an advanced nuclear power generation capacity of up to approximately 1 GW. ONE Nuclear stated that the final installed capacity, reactor technology pathway, and plant configuration for the Amberjack project have not yet been determined and will depend on subsequent technology down-selection, detailed engineering design, environmental assessment, transmission studies, commercial arrangements, financing, and federal licensing processes. The company previously also announced...

2026-09-09

US Lightbridge Aims to Accelerate Advanced Nuclear Fuel Commercialization via INL Project

Lightbridge Corporation, a US advanced nuclear fuel technology company, announced on September 8 that it has been selected for the "Launchpad" program advanced by the US Department of Energy (DOE) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and plans to leverage this opportunity to accelerate the deployment of Lightbridge Fuel™ in commercial reactors. According to a shareholder letter from Lightbridge Chairman and CEO Seth Grae, the company will pursue a two-track commercialization strategy: on one track, under DOE authorization, it will build the Specialized High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium Extrusion Demonstration (SHED) facility to produce Lead Test Assemblies (LTAs); on the other...

2026-09-09

U.S. Department of Energy Provides $1.9 Billion Loan to Support Restart of Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant

NextEra Energy announced on September 8 that it has completed a loan arrangement of up to $1.9 billion with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa. The project will help restore operations at Iowa's only nuclear power plant and add stable electricity supply to the regional grid. Located in Linn County, Iowa, the Duane Arnold Energy Center has a generating capacity of 615 megawatts. NextEra Energy has previously stated that, subject to regulatory approvals, it plans to restart the facility no later than the first quarter of 2029. The DOE loan will support related restoration efforts, including...

2026-09-09

US Kairos Completes First Phase Testing of ETU 3 Reactor Model

Kairos Power announced on September 7 that its Engineering Test Unit 3 (ETU 3) has completed the first phase of testing. The testing, centered on the Hermes 2 reactor cavity model, validated the precast concrete shielding design as well as remote operation and maintenance capabilities, providing support for the design of the Hermes 2 demonstration plant and subsequent commercial units. Reactor cavity model (Image: Kairos Power) ETU 3, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is part of Kairos Power's iterative development program for its fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology. The unit is a scaled, non-nuclear mockup cavity consisting of a reactor pressure vessel and precast concrete shielding structures.

2026-09-08

UK's First TerraPower Natrium Reactor Could Generate Power by 2034

TerraPower, the US nuclear power company backed by Bill Gates, expects its Natrium sodium-cooled reactor could generate electricity in the UK as early as 2034. If the project progresses smoothly, the UK will become the company's first market for deploying this technology outside the United States. TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque said that given the company's first Natrium reactor project is scheduled for completion in 2031, the Natrium technology is highly likely to become a reality in the UK by 2034. The technology has already met relevant US regulatory requirements, and the first unit is under construction in Wyoming. In recent years, the UK has accelerated the development of small modular re...

2026-09-08

Korea and U.S. reportedly in talks to jointly build 8 large-scale nuclear power plants in the U.S.

According to the South Korean government and political figures on September 7, South Korea and the United States are in the final stages of discussions on a plan to jointly build up to 8 large-scale nuclear power plants in the U.S. The plan is seen as one of the follow-up projects under the Korea-U.S. investment arrangement in the U.S. Sources say the U.S. side had proposed allocating $120 billion of the $200 billion investment commitment to the construction of 8 nuclear power plants within the framework of investment in the U.S. An additional $150 billion in shipbuilding-related investment falls outside that commitment. However, the South Korean government reportedly did not accept the proposal to directly specify the exact investment amount, instead preferring to use general wording such as "jointly building 8 nuclear power plants" in relevant documents to preserve room for further coordination...

2026-09-08