NUCLEAR SAFETYDOGE Goes Nuclear: How Trump Invited Silicon Valley Into America’s Nuclear Power Regulator

By Avi Asher-Schapiro

The Trump administration has been particularly aggressive in its attacks on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the bipartisan independent regulator that approves commercial nuclear power plants and monitors their safety. The agency is not a household name. But it’s considered the international gold standard, often influencing safety rules around the world.

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NUCLEAR POWERCutting Nuclear Power Plant Costs: Argonne Develops Framework for Smarter Maintenance

By Marguerite Huber

Merge a multiphysics simulation with real nuclear reactor inspection data and the result is a revolutionizing tool that predicts component failure before it happens. The study combines advanced simulations with real-world testing to predict how feedwater heater tubes, which preheat water before it enters a nuclear reactor, break down over time. The powerful new tool improves maintenance strategies and extend component lifespan.

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SECURITY GUARDSSecurity Guards at Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant Demand Vote to Remove SPFPA Union Officials

The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions in workplaces. Security guards at Vogtle have collected enough signatures to prompt the NLR to administer union removal vote.

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NUCLEAR SAFETYHow Hollywood-Style “Break in” Rooms Are Securing the Future of Nuclear

By Sarah Lusk

Security is paramount for the nation’s current fleet of light water reactors, but the stakes for small modular reactors are especially high. Small modular reactors promise quicker build timelines and lower operating costs than light water reactors. They achieve these enhancements through better designs, higher levels of automation and smaller operating crews. But those same design choices could expand the opportunity for cyber and insider threats.

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NUCLEAR WASTELANL Waste Containers Successfully Depressurized

Technicians successfully completed the depressurization of four flanged tritium waste containers and moved them to a waste staging location on site. The containers were placed in temporary storage in 2007. Over the years, pressure gradually built in the containers. Alleviating that pressure was necessary to safely prepare them for eventual shipment offsite.

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NUCLEAR POWERNuclear Waste Could Be a Source of Fuel in Future Reactors

In theory, nuclear fusion —a process that fuses atoms together, releasing heat to turn generators —could provide vast energy supplies with minimal emissions. But nuclear fusion is an expensive prospect because one of its main fuels is a rare version of hydrogen called tritium. Now, researchers are developing new systems to use nuclear waste to make tritium.

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