Orano TN has completed the first transfer and storage of used fuel canisters with a higher than usual heat load using its Extended Optimised Storage dry storage system. The use of EOS, which is licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for heat loads of up to 50 kW per canister, means used fuel can be transferred to secure dry storage after a shorter period of time.

Global Nuclear Fuel accident-tolerant fuel assemblies have been loaded into a US reactor for the first time. Lead test assemblies using the company's ARMOR-coated zirconium cladding and IronClad accident-tolerant fuel solutions have been installed at Exelon's Clinton boiling water reactor power plant in Illinois.

The US Department of Energy has selected Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, as the site for a new research facility that it says will be a game-changing resource for the international nuclear physics community. The Electron Ion Collider will be designed and constructed over 10 years and cost about USD1.6-2.6 billion.

Canada and the USA have finalised an agreement to collaborate on improving the security of supply chains and ensure the future competitiveness of their critical minerals industries. The announcement follows a June 2019 commitment by the countries' leaders.

A spike in New Jersey's carbon pollution following the closure of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in 2018 has exacerbated the challenge of addressing climate change, Carol M Browner wrote in an OpEd published on 3 January by NJ Spotlight. To achieve our climate goals, we must preserve existing nuclear plants, she said.

In a letter to the Financial Times, Heather Hoff and Kristin Zaitz of Mothers for Nuclear write that nuclear power is the safest way to generate reliable electricity. "Right now, across the US, we are closing perfectly good existing nuclear plants because of low natural gas prices and discriminatory policies that, in the name of climate action, support renewables but not carbon-free nuclear energy," they wrote.

The US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration has unveiled three new nuclear incident response aircraft. The King Air 350ER aircraft are equipped with specialised radiation detection systems and will be used to conduct measurements of air and ground contamination following a nuclear or radiological accident or incident, as well as conducting baseline surveys for normal levels of radiation in the environment in preparation for major public events.

Japan and the USA both need new nuclear generating capability to replace ageing and inefficient generating capacity and could work together to achieve this, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told a bilateral meeting yesterday. Japan would benefit greatly by having a fleet of new, inherently safe reactors, he said.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on proposals to apply risk-based emergency preparedness requirements to small modular reactors and other new technologies. The proposed rule would include a scalable approach for determining the size of the emergency planning zone around such facilities.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorised the issuance of an early site permit to Tennessee Valley Authority for the potential construction of small modular reactors at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. TVA has yet to decide whether to actually construct such reactors at the site and, if so, what technology it would use.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed the fourth phase of its review of the design certification application for NuScale's small modular reactor. With two final phases remaining, this marks the near-completion of the technical aspects of the review.

The roof of the Vogtle unit 3 shield building - a unique feature of the AP1000 reactor design for Vogtle 3 and 4 - has been set into place at the nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia. Georgia Power has also held the first emergency preparedness drill for the new nuclear units.