The USA's clean energy sectors have outlined the government support they need to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Associations representing the nuclear, hydro, solar and wind energy industries have all written to Federal leaders for help.

The US nuclear power sector shed more than 2000 jobs last year, according to a newly released report by the National Association of State Energy Officials and the Energy Futures Initiative. The sector employed a total of 60,916 workers across the country in 2019, which was over 3% less than in 2018, although employment in the nuclear fuel sector rose slightly.
 

Recent global events and supply disruptions have highlighted the importance of domestic supply chains, the CEO of US uranium producer Uranium Energy Corp said today. The company has postponed plans to resume a drilling programme at its Burke Hollow in-situ leach project until market conditions "normalise".

California-based Oklo Inc has submitted a combined licence application for its Aurora "powerhouse" to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is the first COLA to be submitted using a new application structure for advanced fission technologies and the first privately funded application for a commercial advanced reactor.

Energy Harbor Corp has rescinded the deactivation notices for the two-unit Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, which had been scheduled to shut down in 2021. Energy Harbor's decision comes after the state began the process to join a regional initiative aiming to reduce carbon emissions through the trading of emissions allowances.
 

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a draft environmental impact statement for Holtec International's proposed consolidated HI-STORE interim storage facility and made a preliminary recommendation that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude it from issuing a licence for environmental reasons. Holtec proposes initially to store 500 canisters holding around 8680 tonnes of used nuclear fuel at the New Mexico site.

BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc has been awarded a contract from the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to manufacture TRISO nuclear fuel to support the continued development of the Transformational Challenge Reactor . The TCR project aims to build an additively manufactured microreactor, with a demonstration unit planned to be operational by 2023.

The US Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded contracts to BWX Technologies Inc, Westinghouse Government Services and X-energy LLC to each begin design work on a mobile nuclear reactor prototype. The engineering design phase of the project will last up to two years, after which one of the three teams may be selected to build and demonstrate a prototype reactor.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Exelon Generation Company's application for an additional 20 years of operation for Peach Bottom units 2 and 3, authorising an operating life of up to 80 years. These are the second subsequent licence renewals granted by the US regulator, following Turkey Point units 3 and 4 which were granted renewals last December. Peach Bottom 2's subsequent renewed licence will expire on 8 August 2053 and units 3's on 2 July 2054. 

Georgia Power has ordered the first nuclear fuel load for Vogtle unit 4. This means all the initial fuel that will be needed to start up the first nuclear power units to be built in the USA in 30 years has now been ordered. The first load of fuel for Vogtle unit 3 was ordered last July.

Holtec International has provided an update on decommissioning work at its Oyster Creek and Pilgrim nuclear power plants that is being performed by Comprehensive Decommissioning International, its joint venture with SNC-Lavalin.

The US Department of Defense is seeking public comment on a proposal to construct and demonstrate a prototype advanced mobile nuclear microreactor to support its domestic and operational energy demands. This is expected to be a small advanced gas reactor using high-assay low enriched uranium tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel and air cooling.