DOE
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Legal & Regulatory
DOE Pilot Program Targets Three Nuclear Test Reactors for 2026 Criticality Under Department Authorization
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a novel pilot program that will allow private developers to build and operate full-scale advanced nuclear test reactors outside of the national laboratory system, without a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Through a new authorization model grounded in the Atomic Energy Act and a Trump-era […]
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Nuclear
Centrus Completes 900-kg HALEU Delivery to DOE in U.S. Nuclear Fuel Enrichment Milestone
Centrus Energy has produced and delivered 900 kilograms (kg) of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), completing Phase II of its pioneering enrichment contract with the agency. The shipment marks the first significant domestic production of HALEU—a specialized fuel required for many advanced reactors now under development—and stands as a […]
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nuclear
NuScale Advances SMR-Powered Desalination and Hydrogen Production with Integrated Brine Reuse Strategy
Small modular reactor (SMR) technology developer NuScale Power has unveiled research programs that could advance an energy system that integrates its nuclear technology to produce desalinated water and hydrogen, while reusing brine waste as an industrial feedstock. The research, developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and […]
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Power
Oklo Retapped for Alaska Air Force Microreactor, Proposes Nuclear Fleet-Wide Licensing Framework
The U.S. Air Force has formally reaffirmed its selection of Oklo’s liquid metal-cooled fast reactor to provide nuclear energy at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, re-issuing a Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA) for the company’s Aurora Powerhouse following a comprehensive evaluation process. The June 10 announcement, issued by the Defense Logistics Agency Energy […]
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Commentary
Who Will Pay for Forcing the Campbell Coal Plant to Stay Open?
The Trump administration moved forward with a controversial market intervention last month, ordering the aging J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in Michigan to remain open through the summer. The plant had been slated for retirement on May 31, and the unprecedented move, relying on the administration’s previous declaration of an energy emergency, raises a host […]
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Coal
DOE Scraps $3.7B in OCED Projects, Upending Carbon Capture Progress at Power Plants
The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) abrupt termination of 24 previously awarded projects—including four prominent power-related carbon capture projects— will rescind $3.7 billion in financial assistance from its Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). In a terse press release on May 30, the DOE cited “a thorough and individualized financial review” in its justification for canceling […]
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Power
DOE Orders Fossil Units Online After Puerto Rico Blackouts, Citing Dispatchable Capacity Need
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has invoked emergency authority to compel Puerto Rico’s public utility to dispatch mothballed oil-fired and fossil-fueled power units, citing an imminent threat to grid reliability following two major blackouts in less than a month. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, acting on behalf of the DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, […]
Tagged in:- Energy resilience
- pr-erf
- Vegetation Management
- DOE
- Blackout
- Grid Deployment Office
- Puerto Rico
- transmission infrastructure.
- grid reliability
- power plant operations
- energy policy
- fossil generation
- PREPA
- oil-fired power plants
- Federal Power Act
- emergency orders
- Section 202(c)
- dispatchable capacity
- FEMA
- luma energy
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Legal & Regulatory
DOE Chief Backs Fossil, Nuclear Push Amid Budget and Staffing Questions
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on May 7 told lawmakers that the Department of Energy (DOE) is entering what he called “a golden era of American energy dominance,” outlining the Trump administration’s strategy to prioritize fossil fuels, nuclear power, grid modernization, and permitting reform, while positioning the U.S. to lead in artificial intelligence (AI) […]
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Electrification
Policy on Energy Efficiency Moving to States—Here’s What to Know
In late March, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would eliminate four efficiency standards enacted during the Biden administration. In addition, the Trump administration has issued statements suggesting that the power to choose appliances and energy-efficiency standards should not belong to the federal government, setting the stage for a state-level approach.
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Commentary
The Next Five Years Will Define U.S. Nuclear’s Fate
The U.S. stands at a critical juncture. We’re experiencing electric load growth for the first time in decades, as fierce global competition reshapes the energy landscape. Nuclear power, both the resurgence of fission and the promise of fusion, could secure our energy future and position the U.S. as the global leader in energy technology for […]
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