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News Reactor | December 2024

December 9, 2024

Policy Activity 

Bipartisan Bill Would Create Nuclear Waste Administration  

A bill introduced in the U.S. House proposes a new agency to manage nuclear waste and consent-based siting. The legislation, titled the Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2024, creates an independent authority to manage spent nuclear fuel and oversee funding for waste management programs. The bill would remove the current spent fuel management responsibilities from the Department of Energy and instead create a single administration. Bill sponsors Reps. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and August Pfluger (R-Texas) state that despite current federal efforts, a new administration is needed to make headway on spent fuel and to create a national repository. The sponsors also outline taxpayer costs related to current on-site temporary storage as a motivator to advance spent fuel solutions.  

Louisiana Governor Signs Executive Order Addressing Nuclear  

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed Executive Order 166 in November to address environmental permitting and sustainable development. The order directs multiple areas of efficiency in regulatory processes in the state. Among the order’s directives, Landry directs the state to develop procedures to advance and prepare for a potential expansion of nuclear energy in the state. The state currently has two nuclear power plants and receives around 12.5% of its electricity from nuclear generation. More information on the state’s nuclear profile is available from NEI’s Nuclear Energy Fact Sheet.  

State Legislation Updates 

New Jersey AB 4858 (introduced) would establish a tax credit and grant program for nuclear facilities and operators. The bill would offer a tax credit for the construction of new nuclear facilities and the energy produced. A tax credit also would be offered to manufacturers of materials used in nuclear energy reactors and facilities and to manufacturers that relocate their operations to the state. Additionally, the bill would create a grant program to assist in the construction of the first advanced nuclear facility in the state. The recipient facility would receive the grant annually for its first 25 years of operation. The bill is a companion to SB 235.  

North Dakota Draft Bill 429 (filed) would devote $500,000 from the state’s general fund to study the feasibility of siting and deploying advanced nuclear reactors in the state. The funds would allow the state to hire outside experts to report on how to proceed on nuclear decisions.  

West Virginia HB 208 (enacted) changes the state’s nuclear management authority from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to the state’s health department. The bill, presented during the state’s special session, allows the state to enter an agreement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to give the state oversight on potential nuclear waste storage and disposal. The bill does not remove any licensing power or oversight from the NRC but allows the state to oversee some processes when qualified. Currently, 39 NRC Agreement States have authority over some nuclear waste materials.  

Wyoming Draft Bill 253 (filed) will be sponsored by the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee in the 2025 legislative session. The bill would broaden the definition of nuclear waste. The legislation may open opportunities for the state to accept nuclear waste in the future, but the state does not yet have a repository or recycling facility.  

Stay up to date on these bills and more with NCSL’s 50-state bill tracking database. Filter by topics like nuclear, renewable energy, workforce and more.  

Nuclear Power Plants and Infrastructure 

FERC Denies Talen and Amazon Deal 

Talen Energy has indicated they are requesting a rehearing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after FERC decided on the expansion of the company’s agreement with Amazon. Talen Energy requested to increase capacity servicing an Amazon data center beyond 300 megawatts. The data center is connected directly to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, servicing the data center behind the meter. The FERC voted 2-1 in November to deny the expansion, noting that the application’s argument for increasing a behind-the-meter power supply was not strong enough. The commission also noted that data center colocation with nuclear plants is a novel arrangement that requires new precedents to preserve grid reliability and customer rates. Talen has expressed they intend to file a motion to readdress the expansion with the FERC. 

NRC Approves Kairos Oak Ridge Test Reactors 

Kairos Power received approval from the NRC to construct two fluoride-salt cooled reactors in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The reactors, called Hermes 2, will produce 35 megawatts of heat and 20 megawatts of electricity. Kairos is also constructing the Hermes reactor, a non-nuclear demonstration reactor at the site, adjacent to the Hermes 2 pad. The Hermes test reactor will inform TRISO fuel pebble, molten fluoride-salt coolant, and non-light water reactors. Among some of the first advanced reactor design projects in the U.S., Hermes 2 is the first Gen IV electricity-producing reactor to be approved for construction in the U.S. 

Three Mile Island Restart Plan Announced 

Constellation Energy announced a power purchase agreement with Microsoft to provide the company with 20 years of energy from Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 reactor. The plant’s Unit 2 closed in 1979 following a partial meltdown of the reactor, but Unit 1 remained operational until decommissioning in 2019. Constellation hopes to begin initial upgrades to the plant in early 2025 and restart the reactor by 2028. Three Mile Island and Palisades in Michigan are set to be the first U.S. reactors to restart operation after shuttering. 

Meta Announces RFP for Nuclear Partnership 

Meta is seeking nuclear partners to meet the company’s growing energy demand. A new request for proposals from the company seeks to identify a partner to develop small modular or large reactors to supply 1-4 gigawatts of generation by the early 2030s. Meta joins Google, Amazon and Microsoft this year as web-based companies seeking nuclear energy partnerships to supply their data center facilities. No other announcements in addition to the RFP have been made at this time, and Meta has not indicated any company or partner preference. 

Google and Kairos Form Data Center Partnership 

Kairos Power has agreed to develop and construct a fleet of reactors to power Google data centers with 500 megawatts (MW) of power at an undetermined site. Google will likely require nuclear generation to meet its goal of being carbon-neutral by 2030 while also increasing data center power. Google stated that the round-the-clock power provided by nuclear will help the company meet AI advancement needs. The two companies hope to be operating the nuclear fleet by 2035. 

AWS Signs 3 Nuclear Agreements  

Energy Northwest, X-Energy and Dominion Energy have partnered with Amazon Web Services to develop small modular reactor projects in Washington and Virginia to serve demand related to data center usage and expected growth. In Virginia, Dominion Energy currently serves about 450 data centers and 3,500 MW of power. The agreement with AWS will provide an additional 300 MW through small modular reactors (SMR). In Washington, the agreement will generate an additional 320 MW with potential for 960 MW through X-Energy’s SMR reactor design. X-Energy’s reactors will be used by Energy Northwest, a consortium of public utilities in the state.  

Palisades Restart Update 

Holtec International continues to make progress toward reopening the Palisades plant on West Michigan’s lakeshore. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it plans to announce license and permit decisions by August 2025, and Holtec hopes the plant is operational by October of that year. In addition to financial support from state and federal sources, Wolverine Power Cooperative recently received $600 million to subsidize the power purchased from the plant, if reopened. Wolverine will purchase two-thirds of the power produced by Palisades once reopened.    

DOD Breaks Ground for Project Pele 

Idaho National Laboratory will host a new research program for a portable nuclear reactor in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. The reactor, titled Project Pele, will be designed to fit in four shipping containers that can be transported by truck for use in DOD operations. This week, the department began construction on the reactor site at INL in preparation of the final reactor design. The assembled reactor is set to be completed in 2025 by manufacturer BWXT Advanced Technologies and delivered to INL in 2026. The reactor will be the first microreactor in the U.S. and is set to be the nation’s first Generation IV reactor to produce electricity. 

Research and Technology  

Abilene Christian University to Build First Molten Salt-Fueled Reactor 

The NRC granted Abilene Christian University in Texas a permit to construct a molten salt-fueled research reactor. The reactor, which will be the first of its type in the country, will be used to study advanced nuclear technology research. The university may now construct and test the reactor without uranium but will need an additional permit to operate the reactor once construction is complete. Texas is currently home to two nuclear power plants, each with two reactors, and two research reactors.  

Materials, Nuclear Fuel and Spent Fuel  

DOE Awards 4 HALEU Contracts 

The Department of Energy awarded contracts to four companies for up to $2.7 billion across 10 years to enrich uranium to produce high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for domestic advanced reactor fuel supply. Recipients include Louisiana Energy Services, Orano Federal Services, General Matter, and American Centrifuge Operating. Additionally, the DOE awarded contracts to perform HALEU deconversion, a process to convert uranium into other forms before being fabricated for advanced reactor fuel. These companies include BWX Technologies, Framatome, GE Vernova, Westinghouse, Centrus and Orano. These efforts are part of the federal government’s HALEU supply chain programs to increase domestic fuel supply and decrease reliance on outside sources for the future fleet of advanced reactors. 

Sweden Agrees on Nuclear Waste Storage Repository 

The lengthy process to permit a nuclear waste repository in Sweden has reached a final step with company Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB) receiving a permit to begin construction on a facility, after applying for permission in 2011. The repository will accept waste from the country’s 12 reactors, six of which are currently operating. The storage facility will be 500 meters (or about 1,640 feet) deep and SKB is permitted to store about 12,000 tons of nuclear waste. 

Other News 

NRC Proposes Part 53 for Improved Licensing Process 

To address the speed, efficiency, and fit of NRC licensing processes, the commission has proposed a new rule to adapt permitting to new reactor technology. The new rule, Part 53, was developed to address SMR and microreactor designs, which are designed to be manufactured in a more efficient way compared to previous reactor designs. The proposed rule creates eight specific license application types to reduce redundant processes, including early site permits that will allow applicants to receive a site permit before applying for a construction or combined license. The rule also proposes a common design process to address circumstances where applicants are using a common reactor design that will be located in multiple sites across the U.S., facilitating a new approach to fit SMR and microreactor development. More on the directives in Rule 53 are available from U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Proposes New Licensing Framework for Advanced Reactors. 

Nuclear Energy Resources 

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