Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation has licensed a novel method to 3D print components for nuclear reactors, developed by the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which the Seattle-based company says is ideal for manufacturing components for its advanced nuclear reactor designs.

UPDATED - The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has denied Oklo Power's application to build and operate an Aurora compact fast reactor in Idaho, saying gaps in the information supplied by the company mean that the regulator's review of the combined licence application cannot move forward. Oklo can submit a "complete application" in the future and can request a hearing on the NRC decision.

Uranium development company enCore Energy has completed its acquisition of Azarga Uranium, consolidating the two companies' US exploration and development stage in-situ leach uranium projects and estimated resources totalling 99 million pounds U3O8 (38,080 tU). Azarga is now a 100%-owned subsidiary of enCore.

A Memorandum of Understanding between Framatome and Exelon Generation will see the two companies work towards the production of cobalt-60 in pressurised water reactors for medical and industrial uses.

Worldwide supplies of molybdenum-99 made without using highly enriched uranium are now sufficient for the USA to ban exports of HEU material for foreign medical isotope production.
 

The US Trade and Development Agency announced it will support Ukrainian authorities to assess NuScale's small reactor technology, with a view to future exports. A gap analysis will compare the technology to the Ukrainian regulatory system to identify potential problems and make recommendations.

The final multi-purpose canister containing used nuclear fuel from the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Massachusetts was placed in dry storage on 13 December, marking the removal of all fissile material from its reactor building. Holtec International said the operation - completed 30 months after the reactor was shut down - sets a new world record for the speediest transfer of a plant's used fuel to on-site storage.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the transfer of the licences for the Palisades nuclear power plant from Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc to Holtec International following the plant's retirement next year. Holtec plans to take control of the Michigan plant and begin its decommissioning with a month of its retirement.

Westinghouse has submitted a pre-application regulatory engagement plan with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its eVinci microreactor, detailing the planned pre-licensing application interactions with the regulator. An REP helps reactor developers' early interactions with NRC staff and can reduce regulatory uncertainty and add predictability to licensing advanced technologies.

The US Department of Energy is asking the public for its input on plans to create a new programme to assure the availability of high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel - needed for the demonstration and commercial deployment of advanced reactors - in the USA. Meanwhile, Centrus is working with Clean Core Thorium Energy on advanced fuel using HALEU and thorium.

US electricity grids, especially deregulated grids with auctions, have become fragile and unreliable due to over-dependence on intermittent renewables and just-in-time delivery of natural gas, together with a reliance on imports, writes Meredith Angwin. Nuclear energy, she says, could break the trifecta and prevent rolling blackouts.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power has signed an agreement with US cooperative the Utilities Service Alliance - also known as USA - to cooperate in the development of innovative solutions to enhance nuclear power plant safety and performance within the Alliance's fleet and in the broader international commercial nuclear power industry.