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October 23, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant. Photo: Duke Energy Ratliff and Harris: Innovation for safety and reliability. The Nuclear News interview from the October Robotics and Plant Maintenance issue asks Jay Ratliff, plant manager at Duke Energy’s Brunswick plant, and Floyd Harris, a nuclear station scientist, about the various ways robotics and remote systems are deployed at Brunswick. Robotics was first considered a tool for radiation protection, but now is recognized as critical to effective plant maintenance. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week With DOE funds in hand, UAMPS preps for NuScale SMR licensing phase. Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) announced last Friday that the Department of Energy has approved a $1.4-billion, multiyear cost-share award to Carbon Free Power Project LLC, a new business entity wholly owned by UAMPS that was created for the development and construction of a 720-MWe NuScale power plant—the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP)—to be sited at Idaho National Laboratory. Read now U.S., Canada sign MOU on safeguards and nonproliferation. The United States and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding—Cooperation and Exchange of Information in Nuclear Security, Safeguards, and Nonproliferation Matters—to enable a more effective collaboration between the two countries in the areas of nuclear safety and security. Read now First-ever cleanup of uranium enrichment plant celebrated at Oak Ridge. The completion of the decades-long effort to clean up the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant was celebrated with Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette joining U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and other state and community leaders at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), where the uranium enrichment complex once stood. Read now U-233 processing restarts at Oak Ridge following upgrades. The processing and downblending of uranium-233 for disposal has resumed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, following a pause in operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Energy announced. Read now Final outage completed at Palisades plant. Entergy Corporation’s Palisades nuclear power plant returned to service on October 21, following the completion of the Covert, Mich., facility’s final refueling and maintenance outage, which began on August 30. Read now ANS News Update Nuclear in K-12 education: Overview of ANS toolkit and reflections from educators. As part of Nuclear Science Week, ANS hosted a free webinar earlier this week that looked at the resources ANS has developed wtih Discovery Education and the DOE''s Office of Nuclear Energy to help K-12 educators teach nuclear science and technology. The webinar is available on demand for anyone to watch. Read now ANS celebrates Nuclear Science Week with social media campaign, new RIPB webpage. The nuclear industry has embraced the risk-informed and performance-based (RIPB) decision-making process over the past two decades. Still, it remains a complex concept to explain in lay terms. Read now Elementary school resources added to Navigating Nuclear. Elementary school lesson plans are the latest additions to the Navigating Nuclear: Energizing Our World website. The two lesson plans were created to help students in grades 3-5 understand the power of the atom and how to investigate different energy sources. Read now From the Nuclear Cafe NIA says we need both nuclear and renewables to protect the climate. Responding to a paper published in Nature Energy, the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) wrote in an October blog post that nuclear is a carbon-free energy source with an important role to play in decarbonizing the global economy. Read now It’s time for the United States to demonstrate advanced reactors. A blog post by Rita Baranwal, the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy at the DOE, talks about the important next steps that the U.S. is ready to take in demonstrating advanced reactor technologies. Read now Sponsored Content Inspecting Hidden Areas of Metal Tanks and Containment Vessels or Liners. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed a suite of ultrasonic guided wave sensors to inspect inaccessible regions of a nuclear power plant''s containment vessel. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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December 4, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week From the ground up: Building a workforce for advanced nuclear. From Nuclear News, this feature article describes the challenge that advanced reactors will impose on the nuclear supply chain and the work that the National Reactor Innovation Center at Idaho National Laboratory is doing to establish a highly specialized nuclear talent pipeline. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week GE Hitachi SMR reaches U.S. licensing milestone. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a final safety evaluation report for the first of several licensing topical reports (LTR) submitted by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) for the BWRX-300 small modular reactor. Read now NuScale unveils Energy Exploration Center at Oregon State. Small modular reactor developer NuScale Power has announced the opening of the NuScale Energy Exploration (E2) Center at Oregon State University. Read now Nuclear infrastructure bill moves forward in Senate. The American Nuclear Infrastructure Act (ANIA)—a bipartisan bill introduced just over two weeks ago with the goal of reestablishing U.S. leadership in nuclear energy—is now headed for the Senate floor. The legislation was advanced at a December business meeting of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee by a vote of 16 to 5. Read now WIPP could run out of disposal space, GAO says. A study of the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico has found that the repository faces long-term issues with ensuring sufficient physical space and statutory capacity to dispose of the federal government’s inventory of transuranic (TRU) waste. Read now First Hualong One reactor connected to grid. Unit 5 at China National Nuclear Corporation’s (CNNC) Fuqing nuclear plant in southeastern China’s Fujian Province has become the world’s first Hualong One reactor to be connected to the power grid. Read now ANS News update Giving Tuesday: Bringing nuclear to every classroom. For Giving Tuesday, the American Nuclear Society is on a mission–jumpstart funding for a special initiative, Nuclear in Every Classroom. This landmark effort helps ensure that nuclear science and technology crosses the desks – virtual or in-person – of every k-12 student and teacher in the nation. Read now From the Cafe ANS leaders’ op-ed urges New York Gov. Cuomo to keep Indian Point-3 operating. The scheduled premature shutdown of Indian Point-3 will all but guarantee a massive increase in fossil fuel use, according to an op-ed written by American Nuclear Society President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar and Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy that was published in the New York Daily News. Read now LA Times asks, “How safe is the water off SONGS?” The Los Angeles Times published an article on about a recent collaboration between the Surfrider Foundation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to determine how safe the water is off the coast of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Read now U.K. seeks site for STEP fusion reactor. The United Kingdom’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has asked local governments to submit bids to host the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production project, or STEP, according to an article published by Bloomberg. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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October 2, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Tapping Nonnuclear Knowledge. This article, featured in the fall issue of Radwaste Solutions, discusses the challenges of sharing knowledge across nuclear decommissioning projects, and the transfer of lessons learned from nonnuclear projects into nuclear ones, and vice versa. This research addresses this topic by leveraging on the experience of senior industry practitioners and provides a number of best practices that could be transferred to nuclear decommissioning projects. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week The Road to Utah. July 14 marked a milestone in the decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), as the Unit 1 reactor pressure vessel (RPV) completed a seven-week journey from Southern California to EnergySolutions’ Clive disposal facility in Utah. Read now Progress being made toward Mo-99 production at Darlington. Ontario Power Generation, its subsidiary Laurentis Energy Partners, and BWXT ITG Canada and its affiliates announced recently that the companies are making “significant progress” toward the production of molybdenum-99 at OPG’s Darlington nuclear power plant.  Read now Advanced nuclear to be a focus of reopened Arctic Energy Office. The Department of Energy has announced the reestablishment of the Arctic Energy Office (AEO), to be located on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Read now Ameren signs up for net zero, plans to extend Callaway operation. Ameren Corporation has announced the establishment of a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 across all of its operations in Missouri and Illinois, according to a recent news release from the company. Read now ANS News update ANS names Winter Meeting awards winners. The American Nuclear Society recently named the recipients of seven American Nuclear Society awards that will be presented during the 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting, which begins November 16. Read now Seven new ANS Fellows named. American Nuclear Society Fellows hold the highest grade of membership in the Society. The following new Fellows will be recognized on November 16 during the opening plenary session of the 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting. Read now From the Nuclear Cafe Labor union leader weighs in on closure of Illinois nuclear plants. Lonnie Stephenson, international president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, wrote an op-ed published in the September 25 Chicago Sun-Times touting the benefits of nuclear power in Illinois and decrying Exelon’s plan to prematurely shutter the Byron and Dresden plants. Read now Nuclear power: Are we too anxious about the risks of radiation? Following U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent restatement of the United Kingdom’s commitment to nuclear power, BBC News chief environment correspondent, Justin Rowlatt, wrote an article aimed at separating fact from fiction regarding the safety and benefits of nuclear energy. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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September 18, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week A look inside the NRC''s Operations Center.   The NRC’s Operations Center: Exercising authority to respond. Featured in the September issue of Nuclear News, this article looks at how the Operations Center at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md., is put to the test during exercises designed to prove and improve U.S. nuclear emergency preparedness and incident response capabilities. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week Special committee holds first hearing on H.B. 6. Some two weeks after its creation, the Ohio House Select Committee on Energy Policy and Oversight held its first hearing to consider a potential repeal of the Ohio Clean Air Program Act (H.B. 6). H.B. 6 is the sweeping energy law that includes subsidies for the state’s two nuclear power plants, Davis-Besse and Perry, and that is currently at the center of an alleged $61-million corruption scheme aimed at guaranteeing its passage. Read now ECA launches “new nuclear” initiative. The board of directors of the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), an organization known more for its work in advancing the cleanup of Department of Energy sites, is launching a new initiative aimed at supporting the development of new nuclear technologies. As announced by the ECA on September 15, the self-funded, one-year initiative will focus on small modular reactors, micro and advanced reactors, a skilled nuclear workforce, and new nuclear missions around DOE facilities. Read now ASLB adds conditions to Seabrook license amendment. An Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has rendered its decision on a challenge to a license amendment concerning concrete degradation at the Seabrook nuclear power plant, upholding the amendment but imposing four additional conditions. The challenge to NextEra Energy’s license amendment for Seabrook was brought in 2017 by the C-10 Research and Education Foundation, an opponent of license renewal for the New Hampshire facility, which houses one 1,248-MWe four-loop pressurized water reactor. Read now Department of Commerce, Rosatom sign draft amendment to uranium agreement. The U.S. Department of Commerce and Rosatom on September 12 initialed a draft amendment extend the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation, signed in 1992. Rosatom is Russia’s state atomic energy corporation. Should the amendment receive final approval, it will extend the agreement to 2040. Read now Hitachi pulls plug on Wales nuclear build project. Tokyo-based Hitachi Ltd. today announced that it is withdrawing from the currently suspended Wylfa Newydd nuclear-build project in northwestern Wales. The announcement dashes the hopes raised last month by reports that Horizon Nuclear Power, the Hitachi subsidiary in charge of the project, was in talks with the U.K. government regarding a possible resuscitation. Read now ANS News update Black racial justice webinar kicks off DIA series. The Diversity and Inclusion in the American Nuclear Society (DIA) Committee opened its new series of webinars with a panel discussion, “Black Racial Justice in the Nuclear Community.” During the webinar, five panelists discussed racial justice issues and their own experiences throughout their lives. Included on the panel were Warren “Pete” Miller, former Department of Energy assistant secretary for nuclear energy; Michelle Scott, DOE senior advisor; Charlyne Smith, PhD candidate at the University of Florida; Ira Strong, legacy engineer at the Palo Verde plant in Arizona and a student at the University of New Mexico; and Sola Talabi, senior consultant at Pittsburgh Technical. Read now ANS distinguished service award renamed to honor Levenson. Thanks to a generous donation from Margaret S. Y. Chu, a member of the American Nuclear Society since 2000, the ANS Distinguished Service Award will now honor Milton Levenson, ANS past president (1983–1984) and Fellow who died in 2018. Chu’s career path intersected with Levenson many times over a 13-year span through their work as consultants. Following his death, Chu wanted a way to honor the man she described as “an extraordinary scientist who dedicated over 70 years of his life to nuclear energy.” Read now From the Nuclear Cafe archive Frequently Asked Questions About Nuclear Power. The full ANS Nuclear Cafe archive of articles is now on the ANS Newswire webpage. This article was published on the Cafe back in 2013. The Breakthrough Institute recently compiled some of the tough questions it is frequently asked about nuclear power by fellow environmentalists. The answers (originally published at BTI''s Energy and Climate) illustrate that if we''re serious about climate change and alleviating global poverty, we need nuclear power on a large scale. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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Find out how versatile the Versatile Test Reactor is Be among the more than 2,500 attendees expected to participate in the 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting, November 16-19!   Register today and receive access to more than 130 sessions presented by the leading experts in the nuclear community. Members save $200. Not a member? Join now and your discount will pay for your membership!   The Winter Meeting covers all facets of nuclear science and technology, including nine sessions on the Versatile Test Reactor: Explore the Versatility of the VTR    Nuclear Fuels–II and Versatile Test Reactor Safety Topics for the Versatile Test Reactor–I Safety Topics for the Versatile Test Reactor–II VTR Safety Strategy and Implementation Versatile Test Reactor Experiments–I Versatile Test Reactor Experiments–II Versatile Test Reactor: Current Developments Versatile Test Reactor Panel Learn more about the 130+ sessions.   ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS   Keynote address by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz Attendees receive a free registration for the virtually co-located Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors Virtual Meeting (CASL). Featured sessions include a two-part plenary on the celebration of CASL achievements and reflection on the future of nuclear modeling and simulation. Ernest Moniz is among the many prominent speakers.   Virtual Exhibit Hall Your registration includes exclusive access to the virtual Exhibit Hall with nearly 30 exhibitors, including national labs, utilities, suppliers, and more.    Take a virtual tour of Argonne National Laboratory! Explore the world-class nuclear facilities at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory on Tuesday, November 17.   Enter to win $200 in the Pitch Your PhD competition Are you a student finishing your PhD, or have you recently defended your thesis in nuclear engineering? Then compete for a $200 cash prize on Thursday, November 19. To participate, contact Ishita Trivedi by this Sunday, November 8, with your name, university, thesis subject, and a defense date (you must be registered for the meeting to compete). Register Organizational Participant/Virtual Booth Packages We have multiple options to showcase your organization at the Winter Meeting, including organizational participant packages and virtual booths! A special thank you to our Organizational Participants: Click here to unsubscribe.

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December 4, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week From the ground up: Building a workforce for advanced nuclear. From Nuclear News, this feature article describes the challenge that advanced reactors will impose on the nuclear supply chain and the work that the National Reactor Innovation Center at Idaho National Laboratory is doing to establish a highly specialized nuclear talent pipeline. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week GE Hitachi SMR reaches U.S. licensing milestone. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a final safety evaluation report for the first of several licensing topical reports (LTR) submitted by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) for the BWRX-300 small modular reactor. Read now NuScale unveils Energy Exploration Center at Oregon State. Small modular reactor developer NuScale Power has announced the opening of the NuScale Energy Exploration (E2) Center at Oregon State University. Read now Nuclear infrastructure bill moves forward in Senate. The American Nuclear Infrastructure Act (ANIA)—a bipartisan bill introduced just over two weeks ago with the goal of reestablishing U.S. leadership in nuclear energy—is now headed for the Senate floor. The legislation was advanced at a December business meeting of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee by a vote of 16 to 5. Read now WIPP could run out of disposal space, GAO says. A study of the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico has found that the repository faces long-term issues with ensuring sufficient physical space and statutory capacity to dispose of the federal government’s inventory of transuranic (TRU) waste. Read now First Hualong One reactor connected to grid. Unit 5 at China National Nuclear Corporation’s (CNNC) Fuqing nuclear plant in southeastern China’s Fujian Province has become the world’s first Hualong One reactor to be connected to the power grid. Read now ANS News update Giving Tuesday: Bringing nuclear to every classroom. For Giving Tuesday, the American Nuclear Society is on a mission–jumpstart funding for a special initiative, Nuclear in Every Classroom. This landmark effort helps ensure that nuclear science and technology crosses the desks – virtual or in-person – of every k-12 student and teacher in the nation. Read now From the Cafe ANS leaders’ op-ed urges New York Gov. Cuomo to keep Indian Point-3 operating. The scheduled premature shutdown of Indian Point-3 will all but guarantee a massive increase in fossil fuel use, according to an op-ed written by American Nuclear Society President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar and Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy that was published in the New York Daily News. Read now LA Times asks, “How safe is the water off SONGS?” The Los Angeles Times published an article on about a recent collaboration between the Surfrider Foundation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to determine how safe the water is off the coast of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Read now U.K. seeks site for STEP fusion reactor. The United Kingdom’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has asked local governments to submit bids to host the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production project, or STEP, according to an article published by Bloomberg. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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September 25, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Oak Ridge health physics workers in 1949, Source: Atomic Heritage Foundation/ORNL HPS''s Eric Goldin: On health physics. Nuclear News Editor-in-Chief Rick Michal recently interviewed Eric Goldin, president of the Health Physics Society. Goldin is a radiation safety specialist with 40 years of experience in power reactor health physics, supporting worker and public radiation safety programs. Goldin discussed the HPS and health physics activities, including a recent position statement from the HPS on nuclear power. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week “Critical decision” keeps Versatile Test Reactor on target. Now that the Department of Energy has approved Critical Decision 1 for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) project, the engineering design phase can begin once Congress appropriates funding, according to the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy. Read now House bill would create spent fuel R&D program at the DOE. A bill introduced by Rep. Mark Levine (D., Calif.) would direct the Department of Energy to conduct an advanced fuel cycle research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program. Read now TerraPower, Centrus, and Duke Energy talk tech and collaboration. Three companies that are part of a larger collaboration to develop and demonstrate Natrium, the fast reactor design recently introduced by TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), were invited to participate in a webinar hosted by ClearPath to talk about Natrium’s design, fuel requirements, and load-following potential. Read now NRC recommends over $7 million in R&D grants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that based on a review of 141 research and development grant proposals, it anticipates awarding more than $7.25 million in funding to 15 of the peer-reviewed proposals. Read now IAEA kicks off annual meeting in Vienna. With special precautions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Atomic Energy Agency commenced its week-long 64th General Conference with a plenary session that included remarks from Rafael Mariano Grossi, the agency’s director general. Read now ANS News update ANS members approve amendment adding YMG rep to board of directors. The American Nuclear Society will include a representative from the Young Members Group on its Board of Directors after ANS members voted overwhelmingly in favor of amending Article B6 of the ANS bylaws. The change was mandated by Objective Outcome 5 of the ANS Change Plan 2020. Read now From the Nuclear Cafe archive Wind power to nuclear power infographic comparison. The full ANS Nuclear Cafe archive of articles is now on the ANS Newswire webpage. This article was published on the Cafe in 2012 was the first in a series of info-graphic presentations about nuclear energy. This graphic compares the energy density of nuclear to that of wind power. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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November 27, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Kurt Terrani observing a chemical vapor infiltration furnace during densification of additively manufactured nuclear-grade silicon carbide. A day in the life of the nuclear community. The November issue of Nuclear News focused on the individuals who make up our nuclear community. We invited a small group of those individuals to tell us about their day-to-day work in some of the many occupations and applications of nuclear science and technology, and they responded generously. They were ready to tell us about the part they play, together with colleagues and team members, in supplying clean energy, advancing technology, protecting safety and health, and exploring fundamental science. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week New research planned for high-energy physics. The Department of Energy plans to provide $100 million over the next four years for new research in high-energy physics. The research is expected to focus on topics such as the Higgs boson, neutrinos, dark matter, and dark energy in an effort to advance understanding of the universe at the most fundamental level. Read now Senate bill introduced to reestablish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy. The American Nuclear Infrastructure Act (ANIA), S. 4897, released as draft legislation in July and supported by a panel of energy experts at a Senate hearing in August, has been introduced in the Senate. Read now Indian Point licenses to transfer to Holtec for decommissioning. The transfer of the Indian Point nuclear power plant licenses from Entergy to Holtec International, as owner, and Holtec Decommissioning International (HDI), as decommissioning operator, has been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read now White paper shines light on significance of irradiation. With input from the American Nuclear Society and other organizations, the International Irradiation Association has published a white paper summarizing all of the significant uses of radiation processing and the global economic, social, and environmental benefits that arise from the technologies. Read now OPG resumes planning for new nuclear at Darlington. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) recently announced the resumption of planning activities for future nuclear power generation at its Darlington site, with a goal of hosting a grid-size small modular reactor as soon as 2028. Originally, plans for the Darlington new nuclear project were focused on the construction of traditional large reactors. Read now ANS News Update ANS Board of Directors votes to retire outdated position statements. The American Nuclear Society’s Board of Directors on November 19 voted to retire several outdated position statements, as requested by the Public Policy Committee. Among them are Position Statements #37 and #63, dating from 2010, which have been retired for lacking policy recommendations and for being redundant, as other position statements exist with language that better articulates the Society’s stance on those topics. Read now From the Cafe Why I’ll be getting a COVID-19 vaccine. ANS Vice President/President-Elect Steven Nesbit discusses the similarities between the public discourse surrounding the forthcoming COVID-19 vaccines and the fearmongering towards nuclear policy and asks members of the community "to base their decisions about vaccination on real data, real risks, and the consensus opinion of experts in the medical and public health professions." Read now Baranwal reviews virtual STEM lessons for U.S. tribal communities. In a blog post to the Department of Energy’s website on November 23, Rita Baranwal, assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy, commended recent virtual lesson projects from the Office of Nuclear Energy and the Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group to increase STEM opportunities for Native American tribes. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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Make a difference in your field Join today and save $25!  Join the American Nuclear Society and be a part of a unique community of nearly 10,000 members devoted to advancing the nuclear field.    For a limited time, save $25 by entering the following discount code when you join online:    FALL25D    As an ANS member, you’ll not only be making a difference by strengthening the professional society that supports your field, you’ll also receive access to exclusive members-only resources and networking opportunities that will keep you connected with the nuclear community.      The many member benefits include: FREE subscription to the recently redesigned Nuclear News magazine FREE online access to three technical journals and Radwaste Solutions magazine Members-only content from Newswire, ANS’s 24/7 news resource Two complimentary technical Professional Division memberships Membership in the ANS Local or Student Section of your choice Significant discounts on virtual and in-person conferences Special members-only pricing on books and apparel in the ANS Store Exclusive access to webinars and online networking opportunities Access to ANS Mentor Match, a members-only networking resource And much more! Hurry – offer expires this Friday, December 11. The discount applies to new professional members. Students can join anytime for only $35 with no discount code needed. Join today! Click here to unsubscribe.

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October 30 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week The Zephyr system uses probes for steam generator inspections. Photos: APS Robotics at Palo Verde. This article, featured in the October issue of Nuclear News, reviews Palo Verde’s use of inspection technologies relatively new to the nuclear industry. One of the new technologies, called smart pigs (an acronym for “piping inline gauges”), has previously been employed by oil and gas companies for inspecting and cleaning underground pipes. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week A microreactor at every rest stop? Electrifying the nation’s trucking industry could reduce consumption of fossil-based diesel fuel, but it would also pose new challenges. A cross-country 18-wheel truck needs five to 10 times more electricity than an electric car to recharge its battery. Where will that electricity come from? Read now U.S., Bulgaria ink civil nuclear MOU. The U.S. in the past few weeks has signed civil nuclear agreements with Romania and Poland, and now a third European nation can be added to the list: Bulgaria. Read now OPG launches Canadian hub for nuclear collaboration. Ontario Power Generation has officially opened its Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability, the company recently announced. The new center is intended to integrate collaboration and research in the nuclear life cycle while also supporting the work under way to prepare for the decommissioning of OPG’s Pickering nuclear power plant. Read now Missouri S&T’s nuclear engineering program gains department status. The Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) was one of the first U.S. institutions to offer a nuclear engineering degree. Now, decades after it was offered as an option within metallurgical engineering, Missouri S&T’s nuclear program has attained new status as the Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Department. Read now NASA and DOE sign MOU on interplanetary nuclear propulsion. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on October 20 signed a memorandum of understanding to continue decades of partnership between the Department of Energy and NASA and to support the goals of NASA’s Artemis program. Read now ANS News Update Nuclear Science Week: the ANS Local and Student Sections events. Nuclear Science Week (NSW) is a celebration designed to focus local, regional, national, and international interest on all aspects of nuclear science. National events marking the 11th annual NSW took place October 19-23 in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme was “Think Clean. Think Solutions. Think Nuclear.” Read now From the Cafe Outgoing WNA leader: Cross bridges that divide us. Agneta Rising, outgoing director general of the World Nuclear Association, wrote in an October 27 World Nuclear News article that nuclear power is an essential part of the climate change solution, even if it is not part of the conversation in the European Union. Read now Yucca Mountain is not dead, Shimkus says. For more than two decades, one of the country’s biggest champions of the Yucca Mountain Project has been Rep. John Shimkus (R., Ill.), who is retiring from Congress this year. Shimkus spoke with E&E News about how he is not ready to give up on the Nevada repository in an article posted to the energy and environment news organization’s website last week. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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November 6, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week The U.K. National Nuclear Laboratory’s Colin Fairbairn (left) and Ben Smith work on the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) robots project. Photos: UKNNL Solving Sellafield’s 4 Ds problem. From our October issue of Nuclear News, we get to see an exclusive look at how the U.K. National Nuclear Lab is using robotics at the Sellafield site to conduct tasks in extreme environments. The Sellafield site, in Cumbria, United Kingdom, contains historic waste storage silos and storage ponds, some of which started operations in the 1950s and contain some of the most hazardous intermediate-level waste in the United Kingdom. There is a pressing need to decommission these aging facilities as soon as possible, as some of them pose significant radiation risk. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week John Wagner named INL director. John C. Wagner, ANS Fellow and member since 1991, has been named as the next director of Idaho National Laboratory, Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) announced on Thursday. BEA manages and operates the laboratory for the Department of Energy. Read now Nuclear tech in space: What’s on the horizon? NASA aims to develop nuclear technologies for two space applications: propulsion and surface power. Both can make planned NASA missions to the moon more agile and more ambitious, and both are being developed with future crewed missions to Mars in mind. Read now Complaint filed with FERC to save Diablo Canyon from early closure. A nuclear advocacy group is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review the approval by California regulators of the decision by Pacific Gas and Electric in 2016 to prematurely retire its Diablo Canyon plant—the Golden State’s only remaining operating nuclear power facility—in 2025. Read now DOE prepares experimental Oak Ridge reactor for deactivation. The DOE announced last week that the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) is set to begin cleanup of the Experimental Gas-Cooled Reactor at the site. Read now Holtec steps up efforts for SMR design certification. Holtec International announced this week a drive to secure Nuclear Regulatory Commission design certification of the company’s SMR-160 small modular reactor on an accelerated schedule. Read now ANS News Update The ANS President''s Column: Is nuclear scalable and sustainable? In the August issue of Nuclear News, I asked if you’ve ever wondered why nuclear isn’t commonly considered the choice for clean power production. In that and subsequent columns, I provided some information about the cleanliness, safety, and reliability of nuclear for your use in everyday conversation as you make the case for this clean energy source. This month, let’s tackle the scalable and sustainable aspects of nuclear. Read now Letter from the CEO: Do we have enough “People of Nuclear”? This month’s issue of Nuclear News focuses on the People of Nuclear and what it means to be a member of the “Fellowship of the Atom.” The nuclear science and technology (S&T) community in the United States and around the world has had a tumultuous existence since the early days of Curie, Fermi, and Rickover. As one friend puts it, “I’ve seen the demise of nuclear four different times, but we’re still here.” Read now From the Cafe Opinion: U.K. power stations could make hydrogen, heat homes, and decarbonize industry. The United Kingdom needs to start rebuilding its capacity to generate nuclear power, according to an opinion article published Wednesday on The Conversation by two members of the U.K.-based Bangor University faculty. Read now BBC: U.K. government may be close to greenlighting Sizewell C. A BBC News story from late last week states that the U.K. government “is close to giving the green light” to EDF Energy’s proposed Sizewell C nuclear new build project in Suffolk, adding that details surrounding the project’s financing “are still being hammered out.” Read now A life in nuclear reactor physics and design. An abbreviated version of this article, written by ANS member and Professor Emeritus Weston Stacey, appears in the November 2020 issue of Nuclear News. Now here''s the full article—enjoy! Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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Attention Nuclear Cafe Subscribers!   ANS is excited to inform you that content from the ANS Nuclear Cafe has been incorporated into the new ANS Newswire. As a current blog subscriber, you will continue to receive a weekly email summary of the top headlines from all American Nuclear Society publications and communication sources from the worldwide nuclear community. Enjoy the complimentary new and improved recap below! September 11, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week The ANS delegation to the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency workshop included (from left) Antone Brooks, Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, Paul Locke, Marilyn Kray, Shaheen Dewji, Alan Waltar, and Amir Bahadori. Harnessing the promise of radiation: The art of reasonableness. Earlier this year, a delegation from the American Nuclear Society participated in an OECD Nuclear Energy Agency workshop in Lisbon, Portugal, titled “Optimization: Rethinking the Art of Reasonable.” The objective of the workshop was to discuss the optimization of radiological protection and to explore the optimization principle, because reasonableness is often displaced in decision-?making by dose minimization. Of course, it is always appropriate to consider ways to keep radiation exposures in a safe range. However, optimization means much more. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week UAMPS clarifies next steps for planned NuScale SMR deployment. With a design that has just emerged from a rigorous safety evaluation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and a customer—Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS)—getting ready to prepare a combined license (COL) application, what is next for Oregon-based NuScale Power and for near-term small modular reactor prospects in the United States? As milestones are reached, many want to know. Read now GlobalData: China to pass U.S. nuclear capacity in six years. China is on track to overtake the United States in nuclear power capacity by 2026, according to GlobalData, a U.K.-based research and analytics company. More than 160 GW of nuclear capacity will likely be added globally between 2020 and 2030, some 66 percent of which is anticipated to take place in China, India, and Russia, the company reported on September 9. Read now CNL and Kairos Power reach agreement on tritium research. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) on September 3 announced a research collaboration agreement with Kairos Power. Funded through CNL’s Canadian Nuclear Research Initiative (CNRI), the agreement includes research and engineering for technologies to separate, analyze, and store the tritium that would be created during the operation of Kairos Power’s proposed fluoride-salt–cooled small modular reactor. Read now More voices come to the defense of Ohio’s H.B. 6 policy. Despite high-profile calls to repeal the scandal-tainted Ohio Clean Air Program Act (H.B. 6) and recent legislation crafted toward that end in both the Ohio House and Senate (66 of 99 House members have reportedly co-sponsored Democratic or Republican bills to repeal H.B. 6), the policy behind the measure continues to garner support. As reported here on August 26, the six commissioners from Ohio’s Lake and Ottawa counties—home to Davis-Besse and Perry, the two nuclear plants saved from early closure by H.B. 6—have made clear their opposition to an immediate repeal of the act. In addition, last week additional voices came to the defense of H.B. 6 policy. Read now Low-dose radiation has found its analogue. This September issue of Nuclear News is dedicated to highlighting advancements in health physics and radiation protection as well as the contributions of the men and women who serve in these fields. It comes at a time when COVID-19 is providing the entire world with an immersive primer on the science of epidemiology and the importance of risk-informed, performance-based behavior to contain an invisible—yet deadly—antagonist. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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December 18, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Emily Vu provided her comments on who inspired her to join the nuclear community. Nuclear News Asks: Who Inspired You? This feature article presents responses from various community members about those who inspired them—or the events or things that inspired them—to go on to have careers in nuclear. There is an interesting mix of figures here, the most prominent being teachers who had lasting effects on their students. There are others who offered inspiration, too, including parents and other family members. What all the respondents have in common is their inherent drive and their love of science and technology to keep nuclear moving forward. We would like to hear your story. Write in to let us know about it and we will share it within the pages of Nuclear News. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week NNSA reportedly hacked as part of “extensive espionage operation.” In an exclusive story published yesterday, the news website Politico reports that networks of the National Nuclear Security Administration and other federal entities have been hacked “as part of an extensive espionage operation.” Read now Five advanced reactor designs get DOE risk reduction funding. The Department of Energy announced $30 million in initial fiscal year 2020 funding—with the expectation of more over the next seven years—for five companies selected for risk reduction for future demonstration projects. Read now NuScale module’s hydrogen production numbers updated. As a result of last month’s power uprate announcement from NuScale Power regarding its small modular reactor—a 25 percent increase to 77 MWe—the company has now announced updated evaluations for the technical feasibility and economics of producing hydrogen using heat and electricity from its SMR, the NuScale Power Module. Read now New 3D-printed fuel assembly brackets to load at Browns Ferry next spring. The Tennessee Valley Authority will load four new 3D-printed fuel assembly brackets next spring at its Browns Ferry nuclear power plant, in Athens, Alabama. The brackets will be the first of their kind loaded into a commercial reactor, according to the Department of Energy. Read now NNSA to review its “dilute and dispose” option for surplus Pu. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration intends to prepare an environmental impact statement evaluating alternatives for the safe disposal of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium through its Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. Read now ANS News Update The value of “fluffy” stuff. ANS President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar’s monthly column discusses the importance of all levels of education, not just post-secondary education. More than one of Dunzik-Gougar’s colleagues at the national labs dismissed the education and outreach efforts that she pursued in her spare time: scouts, K-12 classroom visits, teacher workshops, science expos, etc., viewing any focus other than the truly technical as just “fluffy” and a waste of valuable time and effort. Read now U.S. university programs: Lighting the way to a brighter nuclear future. ANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy’s monthly column discusses the value of university programs and their contributions in advancing the field of applied nuclear science and technology and readying the next generation of scientists and engineers. Read now ANS signs agreement with Spanish Nuclear Society. The American Nuclear Society and Sociedad Nuclear Espa?ola signed a memorandum of cooperation that creates a partnership between the two societies to cooperate in promoting the development of nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes. Read now From the ANS Nuclear Cafe Biden to tap former Michigan governor to lead DOE. President-elect Joe Biden will pick former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm to run the Department of Energy, Politico reported. The DOE is expected to play a key role in helping develop the technologies needed to fulfill Biden’s pledge to move the country off fossil fuels. Read now Advanced reactors important for carbon-free power production in U.S., tweets Vice News. A video posted to Twitter by Vice News discusses the prospect of advanced reactors being an important mix of carbon-free power production in the United States. Hosted by Gelareh Darabi, an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker, the video provides quick and easy statistics for the general audience and pulls from social media influencer I_sodope. It also includes comments from nuclear experts. Read now Texas congressman weighs in on Yucca Mountain. The U.S. Congress has failed to uphold its promise to fully fund Yucca Mountain, in Nevada, as a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel, Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R., Texas) writes in an op-ed article published in the Dallas Morning News. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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Register now for access to 100+ sessions and much more! Make plans to attend one of the year’s most exciting, informative, provocative, and educational conferences covering every facet of nuclear science and technology!   Taking place November 16-19, the 2020 ANS Winter Meeting will feature 3 plenary sessions, 35+ panel sessions, 100+ technical sessions, and 440+ paper presentations. Register today to receive access to all of this and much more!   ANS members save $200 on registration fees. Not a member? Join today!   Meeting Highlights & Updates   Federal Policy Outlook for 2021 Join ANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy and ANS Director of Government Relations John Starkey on Wednesday, November 18 for a fireside chat with Congressional Staff centered around nuclear policy possibilities/changes for the upcoming 117th Congress and beyond.   Learn more about this and the other 100+ sessions.   Pitch Your PhD at the Winter Meeting! Are you a student finishing your PhD, or have you recently defended your thesis in nuclear engineering? Then make plans to compete for a $200 cash prize in the Pitch Your PhD competition on Thursday, November 19. To participate, contact Ishita Trivedi (itrived@ncsu.edu) by November 8 with your name, university, thesis subject, and a defense date (you must be registered for the meeting to compete).   Receive free access to CASL Sessions Register for the Winter Meeting and receive free access to the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors Virtual Meeting. Check out the recently released schedule.   Attend the ARMI Workshop TerraPower will be providing an interactive workshop on Sunday, November 15, describing and demonstrating a newly-released open source nuclear engineering analysis automation tool. This software system, called ARMI, creates a digital “reactor at your fingertips,” enabling new levels of productivity, detail, and quality for engineers studying or evaluating nuclear reactors. Learn more. Organizational Participant/Virtual Booth Packages We have multiple options to showcase your organization at the Winter Meeting, including organizational participant packages and virtual booths! Register A special thank you to our Organizational Participants: Click here to unsubscribe.

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October 16, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Reactor operators Craig Winder (foreground) and Clint Weigel prepare to start up the ATRC Facility reactor at Idaho National Laboratory Photos: DOE/INL ATRC Upgrade. This article, featured in the October issue of Nuclear News, looks at the digital instrumentation and control system upgrade for the Advanced Test Reactor Critical (ATRC) Facility at INL. Designed and constructed in the early 1960s to support the ATR, the ATRC’s original control systems were becoming difficult if not impossible to replace due to obsolescence and lack of vendor support. Heath Buckland, manager of the ATR’s Project Implementation Department said, “The team completed the 18-month design, three-month execution, and operability testing phases of the project ahead of schedule and under budget.” The ARTC upgrade, and the lessons learned from this modernization project, will benefit the current nuclear power plants. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week ARDP picks divergent technologies in Natrium, Xe-100. The Department of Energy has put two reactor designs—TerraPower’s Natrium and X-energy’s Xe-100—on a fast track to commercialization, each with an initial $80 million in 50-50 cost-shared funds awarded through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). Read now Report highlights socioeconomic impact of power plant closures. Communities that host nuclear power plants face “swift and severe” economic and social impacts following a plant’s closure, according to a report by the Nuclear Decommissioning Collaborative that was released earlier this week. Read now NRC approves Yucca Mountain roadmap. The commissioners of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 3-2 in favor of a recommendation by agency staff to produce a knowledge management “roadmap” for the suspended Yucca Mountain license review. Read now Research reactors promise world of benefits to African nations. Africa hosts only seven of the 220 research reactors in operation today, and despite having 17.2 percent of the world’s population the continent contains just 3 percent of the world''s nuclear research reactor capacity, say the authors of an opinion piece published online on October 12. Read now U.S. replaces China on Romania’s Cernavoda project. U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and Romania’s Minister of Economy, Energy, and Business Development Virgil Popescu initialed a draft intergovernmental agreement last Friday to cooperate on the construction of two additional reactors at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, as well as the refurbishment of Unit 1. Read now ANS News Update The cost of unreliability. The column from ANS President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar follows the discussion from the past two issues about the cleanliness and safety of nuclear power with insight on reliability. Read now Calling balls and strikes. The October letter from our ED/CEO, Craig Piercy, discusses ANS’s primary function and its role in the public discourse of nuclear power. While our primary focus is to serve the men and women of the nuclear community, ANS does have a role to play in helping frame the choice for policymakers, the media, and the public in an objective and fact-based manner. Read now ANS Student Sections virtual 5K fundraising event nears completion. There is still time to participate in the “Nuclear Power: Let’s Keep it Running” 5K virtual run fundraiser sponsored by the ANS Student Sections Committee. The virtual 5K is designed to raise awareness about safe, clean, and reliable nuclear energy and to enrich the experiences of students in nuclear science and technology. Read now From the Cafe A national security argument for U.S. leadership on nuclear power. A recent commentary from Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy—the second in a series by the center’s Matt Bowen, titled “Why the United States Should Remain Engaged on Nuclear Power”—examines the geopolitical and national security implications of the United States’ relinquishing the international nuclear energy marketplace to China and Russia. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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November 6, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week The U.K. National Nuclear Laboratory’s Colin Fairbairn (left) and Ben Smith work on the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) robots project. Photos: UKNNL Solving Sellafield’s 4 Ds problem. From our October issue of Nuclear News, we get to see an exclusive look at how the U.K. National Nuclear Lab is using robotics at the Sellafield site to conduct tasks in extreme environments. The Sellafield site, in Cumbria, United Kingdom, contains historic waste storage silos and storage ponds, some of which started operations in the 1950s and contain some of the most hazardous intermediate-level waste in the United Kingdom. There is a pressing need to decommission these aging facilities as soon as possible, as some of them pose significant radiation risk. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week John Wagner named INL director. John C. Wagner, ANS Fellow and member since 1991, has been named as the next director of Idaho National Laboratory, Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) announced on Thursday. BEA manages and operates the laboratory for the Department of Energy. Read now Nuclear tech in space: What’s on the horizon? NASA aims to develop nuclear technologies for two space applications: propulsion and surface power. Both can make planned NASA missions to the moon more agile and more ambitious, and both are being developed with future crewed missions to Mars in mind. Read now Complaint filed with FERC to save Diablo Canyon from early closure. A nuclear advocacy group is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review the approval by California regulators of the decision by Pacific Gas and Electric in 2016 to prematurely retire its Diablo Canyon plant—the Golden State’s only remaining operating nuclear power facility—in 2025. Read now DOE prepares experimental Oak Ridge reactor for deactivation. The DOE announced last week that the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) is set to begin cleanup of the Experimental Gas-Cooled Reactor at the site. Read now Holtec steps up efforts for SMR design certification. Holtec International announced this week a drive to secure Nuclear Regulatory Commission design certification of the company’s SMR-160 small modular reactor on an accelerated schedule. Read now ANS News Update The ANS President''s Column: Is nuclear scalable and sustainable? In the August issue of Nuclear News, I asked if you’ve ever wondered why nuclear isn’t commonly considered the choice for clean power production. In that and subsequent columns, I provided some information about the cleanliness, safety, and reliability of nuclear for your use in everyday conversation as you make the case for this clean energy source. This month, let’s tackle the scalable and sustainable aspects of nuclear. Read now Letter from the CEO: Do we have enough “People of Nuclear”? This month’s issue of Nuclear News focuses on the People of Nuclear and what it means to be a member of the “Fellowship of the Atom.” The nuclear science and technology (S&T) community in the United States and around the world has had a tumultuous existence since the early days of Curie, Fermi, and Rickover. As one friend puts it, “I’ve seen the demise of nuclear four different times, but we’re still here.” Read now From the Cafe Opinion: U.K. power stations could make hydrogen, heat homes, and decarbonize industry. The United Kingdom needs to start rebuilding its capacity to generate nuclear power, according to an opinion article published Wednesday on The Conversation by two members of the U.K.-based Bangor University faculty. Read now BBC: U.K. government may be close to greenlighting Sizewell C. A BBC News story from late last week states that the U.K. government “is close to giving the green light” to EDF Energy’s proposed Sizewell C nuclear new build project in Suffolk, adding that details surrounding the project’s financing “are still being hammered out.” Read now A life in nuclear reactor physics and design. An abbreviated version of this article, written by ANS member and Professor Emeritus Weston Stacey, appears in the November 2020 issue of Nuclear News. Now here''s the full article—enjoy! Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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Find out how versatile the Versatile Test Reactor is Be among the more than 2,500 attendees expected to participate in the 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting, November 16-19!   Register today and receive access to more than 130 sessions presented by the leading experts in the nuclear community. Members save $200. Not a member? Join now and your discount will pay for your membership!   The Winter Meeting covers all facets of nuclear science and technology, including nine sessions on the Versatile Test Reactor: Explore the Versatility of the VTR    Nuclear Fuels–II and Versatile Test Reactor Safety Topics for the Versatile Test Reactor–I Safety Topics for the Versatile Test Reactor–II VTR Safety Strategy and Implementation Versatile Test Reactor Experiments–I Versatile Test Reactor Experiments–II Versatile Test Reactor: Current Developments Versatile Test Reactor Panel Learn more about the 130+ sessions.   ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS   Keynote address by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz Attendees receive a free registration for the virtually co-located Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors Virtual Meeting (CASL). Featured sessions include a two-part plenary on the celebration of CASL achievements and reflection on the future of nuclear modeling and simulation. Ernest Moniz is among the many prominent speakers.   Virtual Exhibit Hall Your registration includes exclusive access to the virtual Exhibit Hall with nearly 30 exhibitors, including national labs, utilities, suppliers, and more.    Take a virtual tour of Argonne National Laboratory! Explore the world-class nuclear facilities at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory on Tuesday, November 17.   Enter to win $200 in the Pitch Your PhD competition Are you a student finishing your PhD, or have you recently defended your thesis in nuclear engineering? Then compete for a $200 cash prize on Thursday, November 19. To participate, contact Ishita Trivedi by this Sunday, November 8, with your name, university, thesis subject, and a defense date (you must be registered for the meeting to compete). Register Organizational Participant/Virtual Booth Packages We have multiple options to showcase your organization at the Winter Meeting, including organizational participant packages and virtual booths! A special thank you to our Organizational Participants: Click here to unsubscribe.

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November 13, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week V1000 manipulator vehicle. An Update on Robotics and Plant Maintenance. Nuclear News Editor-in-Chief Rick Michal interviewed Joe Dixon and Hubert Hafen of the newly formed, NuVision-W?lishmiller (NVE-HWM). The NVE-HWM team develops, demonstrates and deploys engineered remote systems and robotics to meet the high safety standards, quality requirements, and challengin demands of the nuclear industry. Read about the lates developments in robotics and remote-handling systems. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week SHINE announces first sale of medical Lu-177. Wisconsin-based SHINE Medical Technologies announced on November 4 that its Therapeutics division has made its first commercial sales of lutetium-177 to multiple customers. Read now U.S. companies said to be in talks with U.K. on Welsh nuclear project. The London-based newspaper Financial Times is reporting that a consortium of U.S. firms is holding discussions with the U.K. government to revive Wylfa Newydd, the nuclear new-build project in Wales. Read now Last of historic LLW removed from Lake Ontario shores. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) announced on November 9 that it has completed the excavation and transfer of about 450,000 cubic meters of historic low-level radioactive waste (LLW) and contaminated soils away from the Lake Ontario shoreline in Southeast Clarington, Ontario. Read now NRC seeks comments on language for proposed advanced reactor rulemaking. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is requesting public input on preliminary language for a proposed rule that would set out a risk-informed, technology-inclusive framework for the licensing and regulation of advanced nuclear reactors, according to a notice published in the November 6 Federal Register. Read now Pb-210 used to track growing sedimentation in the Caribbean Sea. The IAEA is supporting Latin American and Caribbean countries in monitoring and analyzing the scope and scale of sedimentation in the region by providing training on the use of the lead radioisotope Pb-210 in the sampling, monitoring, and study of growing sedimentation in the Caribbean and its effects on marine life. Read now ANS News Update ANS WISE program seeks 2021 applicants. ANS student members are encouraged to apply to the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) program for the opportunity to spend next summer exploring the intersection of technology and policy in Washington, D.C. Read now B. John Garrick, pioneer in development and application of risk sciences, passes away. B. John Garrick, ANS Fellow and member since 1956 and an international authority on quantitative risk assessment, died on November 1 due to complications from a fall. He was 90. Read now From the Cafe Bloomberg: Stanford prof a front runner to lead Biden DOE. Arun Majumdar, a professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University and former vice president for energy at Google, is a leading contender for secretary of energy in a Biden administration, according to a November 12 Bloomberg story. Read now Is proximity key to understanding interactions on the nuclear scale? In an MIT News article playfully titled "No matter the size of a nuclear party, some protons and neutrons will always pair up and dance," author Jennifer Chu explains that findings on the interactions of protons and neutrons recently published in the journal Nature Physics show that the nucleons may behave like atoms in a gas. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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Opening Plenary to explore why nuclear is the right choice Less than two weeks remain until the 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting!   Register today to receive access to three plenary sessions, 35+ panel sessions, 100+ technical sessions, and 440+ paper presentations.   ANS members save $200. Not a member? Join now!   One of the featured sessions is the Opening Plenary on Monday, November 16, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm EST:   Engage in a Nuclear Deep Dive We all know the standard talking points in support of nuclear power and its applications. Led by ANS President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, the Opening Plenary will take you on a deeper journey, engaging you in meaningful thinking and discussion about why nuclear is the right choice for the benefit of all mankind. Two keynote speakers, Alex Epstein and Jessica Lovering, have been chosen with deliberation, and the schedule allows time enough for each to make their cases in support of nuclear from different political/philosophical foundations. To further the dialogue, audience Q&A will be encouraged and facilitated after each speaker. Bonus sessions! As an added value, meeting attendees receive a free registration for the virtually co-located Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) 2020 meeting.   Featured plenary sessions include: Looking Back and Looking Forward in Fusion Taking the Fusion Energy Step and its Challenges Working in the Fusion Nuclear Regime Global Fusion Activities and Near Term Steps Winter Meeting registrants also receive access to the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors Virtual Meeting (CASL). Register Organizational Participant/Virtual Booth Packages We have multiple options to showcase your organization at the Winter Meeting, including organizational participant packages and virtual booths! A special thank you to our Organizational Participants: Click here to unsubscribe.

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September 25, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Oak Ridge health physics workers in 1949, Source: Atomic Heritage Foundation/ORNL HPS''s Eric Goldin: On health physics. Nuclear News Editor-in-Chief Rick Michal recently interviewed Eric Goldin, president of the Health Physics Society. Goldin is a radiation safety specialist with 40 years of experience in power reactor health physics, supporting worker and public radiation safety programs. Goldin discussed the HPS and health physics activities, including a recent position statement from the HPS on nuclear power. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week “Critical decision” keeps Versatile Test Reactor on target. Now that the Department of Energy has approved Critical Decision 1 for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) project, the engineering design phase can begin once Congress appropriates funding, according to the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy. Read now House bill would create spent fuel R&D program at the DOE. A bill introduced by Rep. Mark Levine (D., Calif.) would direct the Department of Energy to conduct an advanced fuel cycle research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program. Read now TerraPower, Centrus, and Duke Energy talk tech and collaboration. Three companies that are part of a larger collaboration to develop and demonstrate Natrium, the fast reactor design recently introduced by TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), were invited to participate in a webinar hosted by ClearPath to talk about Natrium’s design, fuel requirements, and load-following potential. Read now NRC recommends over $7 million in R&D grants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that based on a review of 141 research and development grant proposals, it anticipates awarding more than $7.25 million in funding to 15 of the peer-reviewed proposals. Read now IAEA kicks off annual meeting in Vienna. With special precautions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Atomic Energy Agency commenced its week-long 64th General Conference with a plenary session that included remarks from Rafael Mariano Grossi, the agency’s director general. Read now ANS News update ANS members approve amendment adding YMG rep to board of directors. The American Nuclear Society will include a representative from the Young Members Group on its Board of Directors after ANS members voted overwhelmingly in favor of amending Article B6 of the ANS bylaws. The change was mandated by Objective Outcome 5 of the ANS Change Plan 2020. Read now From the Nuclear Cafe archive Wind power to nuclear power infographic comparison. The full ANS Nuclear Cafe archive of articles is now on the ANS Newswire webpage. This article was published on the Cafe in 2012 was the first in a series of info-graphic presentations about nuclear energy. This graphic compares the energy density of nuclear to that of wind power. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

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Exelon, Argonne executives to lead discussion on the future of nuclear next week Don''t miss out next week when the nuclear science and technology community comes together for the 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting!   Register today to receive access to three plenary sessions, 35+ panels, 130+ technical sessions, +440 paper presentations, and 25+ exhibitors.   ANS members save $200. Not a member? Join today!   One of the featured plenaries is the General Chair’s session on Tuesday, November 17.   Join Dr. Paul Kearns, Director, Argonne National Laboratory, and Bryan Hanson, Executive Vice President and Chief Generation Officer, Exelon Nuclear, for their special plenary entitled “Nuclear Science and Industry: The Next Transformation.” An esteemed panel of science and industry experts (listed below) will discuss how innovation is transforming both the current fleet of reactors and preparing for a future with advanced reactors, integrated systems, and smarter grids.   Network Opportunities in the Virtual Exhibit Hall Meet with nearly 30 exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall, including Exelon Generation and Argonne National Laboratory.   Visit the Exelon Generation virtual booth from 11:30 am - Noon EST on Tuesday, November 17 – directly following the General Chairs Plenary Session. Brad Fewell, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Security and General Counsel, will moderate a panel with some of our employee advocates. In nuclear, they launched Generation Nation several years ago and have since amassed more than 7,000 members in the employee-driven, grassroots advocacy program. Come hear about the outreach they do around policy to help save nuclear plants; with community groups and in schools; and much more. Argonne National Laboratory continues to advance the science and technology foundations of safe, secure, and sustainable nuclear energy systems. Visit Argonne’s virtual booth to speak with Argonne researchers, listen to former interns, learn about graduate programs from top universities, join our virtual tour, and enter to win a piece of history – a block of CP-1 graphite! Register A special thank you to our Organizational Participants: Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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Exelon, Argonne executives to lead discussion on the future of nuclear next week Don''t miss out next week when the nuclear science and technology community comes together for the 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting!   Register today to receive access to three plenary sessions, 35+ panels, 130+ technical sessions, +440 paper presentations, and 25+ exhibitors.   ANS members save $200. Not a member? Join today!   One of the featured plenaries is the General Chair’s session on Tuesday, November 17.   Join Dr. Paul Kearns, Director, Argonne National Laboratory, and Bryan Hanson, Executive Vice President and Chief Generation Officer, Exelon Nuclear, for their special plenary entitled “Nuclear Science and Industry: The Next Transformation.” An esteemed panel of science and industry experts (listed below) will discuss how innovation is transforming both the current fleet of reactors and preparing for a future with advanced reactors, integrated systems, and smarter grids.   Network Opportunities in the Virtual Exhibit Hall Meet with nearly 30 exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall, including Exelon Generation and Argonne National Laboratory.   Visit the Exelon Generation virtual booth from 11:30 am - Noon EST on Tuesday, November 17 – directly following the General Chairs Plenary Session. Brad Fewell, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Security and General Counsel, will moderate a panel with some of our employee advocates. In nuclear, they launched Generation Nation several years ago and have since amassed more than 7,000 members in the employee-driven, grassroots advocacy program. Come hear about the outreach they do around policy to help save nuclear plants; with community groups and in schools; and much more. Argonne National Laboratory continues to advance the science and technology foundations of safe, secure, and sustainable nuclear energy systems. Visit Argonne’s virtual booth to speak with Argonne researchers, listen to former interns, learn about graduate programs from top universities, join our virtual tour, and enter to win a piece of history – a block of CP-1 graphite! Register A special thank you to our Organizational Participants: Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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October 30 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week The Zephyr system uses probes for steam generator inspections. Photos: APS Robotics at Palo Verde. This article, featured in the October issue of Nuclear News, reviews Palo Verde’s use of inspection technologies relatively new to the nuclear industry. One of the new technologies, called smart pigs (an acronym for “piping inline gauges”), has previously been employed by oil and gas companies for inspecting and cleaning underground pipes. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week A microreactor at every rest stop? Electrifying the nation’s trucking industry could reduce consumption of fossil-based diesel fuel, but it would also pose new challenges. A cross-country 18-wheel truck needs five to 10 times more electricity than an electric car to recharge its battery. Where will that electricity come from? Read now U.S., Bulgaria ink civil nuclear MOU. The U.S. in the past few weeks has signed civil nuclear agreements with Romania and Poland, and now a third European nation can be added to the list: Bulgaria. Read now OPG launches Canadian hub for nuclear collaboration. Ontario Power Generation has officially opened its Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability, the company recently announced. The new center is intended to integrate collaboration and research in the nuclear life cycle while also supporting the work under way to prepare for the decommissioning of OPG’s Pickering nuclear power plant. Read now Missouri S&T’s nuclear engineering program gains department status. The Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) was one of the first U.S. institutions to offer a nuclear engineering degree. Now, decades after it was offered as an option within metallurgical engineering, Missouri S&T’s nuclear program has attained new status as the Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Department. Read now NASA and DOE sign MOU on interplanetary nuclear propulsion. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on October 20 signed a memorandum of understanding to continue decades of partnership between the Department of Energy and NASA and to support the goals of NASA’s Artemis program. Read now ANS News Update Nuclear Science Week: the ANS Local and Student Sections events. Nuclear Science Week (NSW) is a celebration designed to focus local, regional, national, and international interest on all aspects of nuclear science. National events marking the 11th annual NSW took place October 19-23 in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme was “Think Clean. Think Solutions. Think Nuclear.” Read now From the Cafe Outgoing WNA leader: Cross bridges that divide us. Agneta Rising, outgoing director general of the World Nuclear Association, wrote in an October 27 World Nuclear News article that nuclear power is an essential part of the climate change solution, even if it is not part of the conversation in the European Union. Read now Yucca Mountain is not dead, Shimkus says. For more than two decades, one of the country’s biggest champions of the Yucca Mountain Project has been Rep. John Shimkus (R., Ill.), who is retiring from Congress this year. Shimkus spoke with E&E News about how he is not ready to give up on the Nevada repository in an article posted to the energy and environment news organization’s website last week. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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Last chance to save $25! Don''t miss your chance to save $25 by joining the American Nuclear Society by the end of today. Take advantage of this special discount and become a member of the organization that is helping to advance the future of nuclear science and technology.    Through the end of today, save $25 by entering the following discount code when you join online:    FALL25D    As an ANS member, you’ll not only be supporting the future of your field through our collective advocacy outreach efforts, you’ll also receive these many member benefits and much more: FREE subscription to the recently redesigned Nuclear News magazine FREE online access to three technical journals and Radwaste Solutions magazine Members-only content from Newswire, ANS’s 24/7 news resource Two complimentary technical Professional Division memberships Membership in the ANS Local or Student Section of your choice Significant discounts on virtual and in-person conferences Special members-only pricing on books and apparel in the ANS Store Exclusive access to webinars and online networking opportunities Access to ANS Mentor Match, a members-only networking resource Hurry – offer expires today, December 11. The discount applies to new professional members. Students can join anytime for only $35 with no discount code needed. Join now! Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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Last chance to save $25! Don''t miss your chance to save $25 by joining the American Nuclear Society by the end of today. Take advantage of this special discount and become a member of the organization that is helping to advance the future of nuclear science and technology.    Through the end of today, save $25 by entering the following discount code when you join online:    FALL25D    As an ANS member, you’ll not only be supporting the future of your field through our collective advocacy outreach efforts, you’ll also receive these many member benefits and much more: FREE subscription to the recently redesigned Nuclear News magazine FREE online access to three technical journals and Radwaste Solutions magazine Members-only content from Newswire, ANS’s 24/7 news resource Two complimentary technical Professional Division memberships Membership in the ANS Local or Student Section of your choice Significant discounts on virtual and in-person conferences Special members-only pricing on books and apparel in the ANS Store Exclusive access to webinars and online networking opportunities Access to ANS Mentor Match, a members-only networking resource Hurry – offer expires today, December 11. The discount applies to new professional members. Students can join anytime for only $35 with no discount code needed. Join now! Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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There''s still time to register! The wait is finally over! The 2020 ANS Virtual Winter Meeting kicks off this morning at 10:00 am EST.   Register now to receive access to four days of nonstop sessions and social events! Busy this week? Don''t worry, you can watch all the sessions on-demand after the meeting.   Don''t miss out on hearing from these renowned experts and more! Bryan Hanson, Exelon Nuclear Paul Kearns, Argonne National Laboratory Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar, ANS President, Idaho State University Rita Baranwal, U.S. Department of Energy Ernest Moniz, MIT, Nuclear Threat Initiative Thomas Zacharia, Oak Ridge National Laboratory William D. Magwood IV, Nuclear Energy Agency Thom Mason, Los Alamos National Laboratory Jacob DeWitte, Oklo Inc. Alice Caponiti, U.S. Department of Energy George Shultz, Hoover Institution Jon Ball, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Pete Lyons, U.S. Department of Energy-retired Alex Epstein, Center for Industrial Progress Jessica Lovering, Good Energy Collective Terra Neider, TerraPower Kathryn McCarthy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Marianne Walck, Idaho National Laboratory Sam Nunn, Nuclear Threat Initiative John Hamre, Center for Strategic and International Studies John Kotek, Nuclear Energy Institute Sig Hecker, Stanford University Jackie Kempfer, Third Way Kirsty Gogan, TerraPraxis Jeff Navin, Boundary Stone Partners Hash Hashemian, AMS Corp. Katy Huff, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Chris Nolan, Duke Energy Corp. And many more! Register! A special thank you to our Organizational Participants: Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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October 9, 2020 Feature of the Week A team from the Savannah River Site remediated and closed over 90 acres of land contaminated by coal ash this year.  Vision 2020. This article, featured in the fall issue of Radwaste Solutions, reviews the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) strategic plan and a survey conducted by the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA). The ECA survey asked local officials about the EM Strategic Vision for their community, the positive aspects of the Strategic Vision, their involvement in the development of the vision, and the viability of the vision under the fiscal year 2021 presidential budget request. The goal was to provide clarity on the local response to the DOE’s plan. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week U.S., Russia finalize amendment to uranium import agreement. The U.S. Department of Commerce and Rosatom, Russia’s state atomic energy corporation, have signed a final amendment to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation, extending the pact to 2040. Read now A closer look at SPARC’s burning plasma ambitions. Seven open-access, peer-reviewed papers on the design of SPARC, Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ fusion tokamak, written in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, were published on September 29 in a special edition of the Journal of Plasma Physics. Read now Crystal River-3 operating license transferred to decommissioning company. Duke Energy and Accelerated Decommissioning Partners on October 1 announced the completion of a transaction to begin decontaminating and dismantling the Crystal River-3 nuclear power plant this year instead of in 2067. Read now EIA: Nine of top 10 electricity generators in 2019 were nuclear plants. Of the 10 U.S. power plants that generated the most electricity in 2019, nine were nuclear plants, a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration states. Read now Foratom sounds alarm over nuclear skills shortage in Europe. The European Union’s education and training policy must do more to ensure that the nuclear sector has a sufficient number of people with the right skills, according to Nuclear: Investing in a Competent Workforce for the Benefit of Society, a new position paper from Foratom. Read now ANS News Update Candidates nominated for 2021 ANS national election. Candidates have been named to fill seven ANS leadership positions with terms beginning in June 2021. Read now From the Nuclear Cafe What does the Supreme Court have to do with nuclear waste? The opinion article from Steve Nesbit, ANS vice president/president-elect, points out the interesting connections between the high court and a notable case on nuclear waste from August 2013. Read now Popular Mechanics takes the wind out of renewables study. A paper out of the University of Sussex that correlates the carbon output of 123 countries with their nuclear power programs has received a critical look from Popular Mechanics, which takes to task some of the researchers’ premises in an article by Caroline Delbert. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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On behalf of the American Nuclear Society, we cordially invite you to join us for the 2020 ANS Winter Meeting, November 16-19!   Sadly, this year’s Winter Meeting will be held virtually, but we are working hard and building on the success of our June Annual Meeting to bring you one of the year’s most exciting, informative, provocative, and educational conferences covering every facet of nuclear science and technology.   The theme of this year''s meeting is “Nuclear: Good for You.” Our aim is to highlight the myriad ways that nuclear science and technology contributes to improving our environment, health care, and overall human flourishing.   Of course, the central component of any good ANS meeting is lively and engaging scientific and technical exchange, and this year is no exception with 3 plenary sessions, 35+ panel sessions, 100+ technical sessions, and 440+ paper presentations. Two virtually-colocated conferences are also included with your registration: Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) 2020 and The Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL).   We will be exploring the larger questions of how we as a community communicate the "nutritional value” value of nuclear technology to society at large. With our meeting occurring two weeks after election day, we will also explore the coming debates on energy and climate from all sides of the ideological spectrum.   Finally, we are hosting a special Division Networking night on Monday in addition to our popular Trivia Nights being held on Tuesday and Wednesday. While it will never replace the face-to-face interaction and fellowship of an in-person ANS meeting, perhaps it can tide us over until we see each other again, hopefully in June 2021!   November''s Winter Meeting promises to be one like no other. Register today! Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar  ANS President   Craig H. Piercy ANS Executive Director/CEO Register Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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December 18, 2020 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Emily Vu provided her comments on who inspired her to join the nuclear community. Nuclear News Asks: Who Inspired You? This feature article presents responses from various community members about those who inspired them—or the events or things that inspired them—to go on to have careers in nuclear. There is an interesting mix of figures here, the most prominent being teachers who had lasting effects on their students. There are others who offered inspiration, too, including parents and other family members. What all the respondents have in common is their inherent drive and their love of science and technology to keep nuclear moving forward. We would like to hear your story. Write in to let us know about it and we will share it within the pages of Nuclear News. Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week NNSA reportedly hacked as part of “extensive espionage operation.” In an exclusive story published yesterday, the news website Politico reports that networks of the National Nuclear Security Administration and other federal entities have been hacked “as part of an extensive espionage operation.” Read now Five advanced reactor designs get DOE risk reduction funding. The Department of Energy announced $30 million in initial fiscal year 2020 funding—with the expectation of more over the next seven years—for five companies selected for risk reduction for future demonstration projects. Read now NuScale module’s hydrogen production numbers updated. As a result of last month’s power uprate announcement from NuScale Power regarding its small modular reactor—a 25 percent increase to 77 MWe—the company has now announced updated evaluations for the technical feasibility and economics of producing hydrogen using heat and electricity from its SMR, the NuScale Power Module. Read now New 3D-printed fuel assembly brackets to load at Browns Ferry next spring. The Tennessee Valley Authority will load four new 3D-printed fuel assembly brackets next spring at its Browns Ferry nuclear power plant, in Athens, Alabama. The brackets will be the first of their kind loaded into a commercial reactor, according to the Department of Energy. Read now NNSA to review its “dilute and dispose” option for surplus Pu. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration intends to prepare an environmental impact statement evaluating alternatives for the safe disposal of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium through its Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. Read now ANS News Update The value of “fluffy” stuff. ANS President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar’s monthly column discusses the importance of all levels of education, not just post-secondary education. More than one of Dunzik-Gougar’s colleagues at the national labs dismissed the education and outreach efforts that she pursued in her spare time: scouts, K-12 classroom visits, teacher workshops, science expos, etc., viewing any focus other than the truly technical as just “fluffy” and a waste of valuable time and effort. Read now U.S. university programs: Lighting the way to a brighter nuclear future. ANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy’s monthly column discusses the value of university programs and their contributions in advancing the field of applied nuclear science and technology and readying the next generation of scientists and engineers. Read now ANS signs agreement with Spanish Nuclear Society. The American Nuclear Society and Sociedad Nuclear Espa?ola signed a memorandum of cooperation that creates a partnership between the two societies to cooperate in promoting the development of nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes. Read now From the ANS Nuclear Cafe Biden to tap former Michigan governor to lead DOE. President-elect Joe Biden will pick former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm to run the Department of Energy, Politico reported. The DOE is expected to play a key role in helping develop the technologies needed to fulfill Biden’s pledge to move the country off fossil fuels. Read now Advanced reactors important for carbon-free power production in U.S., tweets Vice News. A video posted to Twitter by Vice News discusses the prospect of advanced reactors being an important mix of carbon-free power production in the United States. Hosted by Gelareh Darabi, an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker, the video provides quick and easy statistics for the general audience and pulls from social media influencer I_sodope. It also includes comments from nuclear experts. Read now Texas congressman weighs in on Yucca Mountain. The U.S. Congress has failed to uphold its promise to fully fund Yucca Mountain, in Nevada, as a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel, Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R., Texas) writes in an op-ed article published in the Dallas Morning News. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526

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January 8, 2021 Nuclear News Feature of the Week Fusion and the bounty of electricity. The first feature from the fusion issue of Nuclear News. Andrew Wesper from Phoenix LLC. reviews the promise of fusion energy. He says fusion needs to invest in “three ‘pillars’ of support: money, resources, and people,” and even though investment has been by and large lacking, he says, “in today’s fusion renaissance, these three pillars are finally strong enough that we could see the first functioning fusion reactor in our lifetime.” Read now Newswire''s top stories of the week Chairman Svinicki announces she will depart on Jan. 20. Chairman Kristine Svinicki announced today that she intends to leave the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on January 20. She issued a statement in a press release from the NRC. Read now Reclassification of HLW could reduce risks while saving billions, DOE says. A Department of Energy report to the U.S. Congress shows that the reclassification of high-level radioactive waste could save more than $200 billion in treatment and disposal costs while allowing DOE sites to be cleaned up sooner—all still without jeopardizing public health and safety. Read now Exelon CEO urges Illinois legislators to save nuclear plants. Christopher Crane, president and chief executive officer of Exelon, wrote in a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed, “The failure of national energy markets to support clean energy will soon force the premature retirement of two of [Illinois’s] six zero-carbon nuclear plants, putting thousands of people out of work, raising energy costs, and taking us decades backward in the fight against climate change." Read now Game-playing AI technique may lead to cheaper nuclear energy. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Exelon show that by turning the nuclear fuel assembly design process into a game, an artificial intelligence system can be trained to generate dozens of optimal configurations that can make each fuel rod last about 5 percent longer, saving a typical power plant an estimated $3 million a year, the researchers report. Read now Palisades license transfer request submitted to NRC. Entergy Corporation and Holtec International have jointly submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for approval of the transfer of the licenses for the Palisades nuclear plant, in Covert, Mich., to Holtec, following the plant’s permanent shutdown and defueling in the spring of 2022. Read now ANS News update Conference on Nuclear Training and Education (CONTE 2021) – Register today. Take advantage of early bird pricing and register for CONTE 2021 today to save $50. ANS members save an additional $100. Training and education are as important as ever as we face a difficult economic marketplace and a global pandemic. Learn how colleagues and experts in your field are overcoming these challenges by participating virtually in the Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum. Read now From the ANS Nuclear Cafe First female CO to command nuclear aircraft carrier. Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt will assume command of USS Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Navy announced last month. It marks the first time that a female commanding officer will lead the crew of one of the Navy’s 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Read now UGA profs call for coalition of civilian nuclear partners. The rising influence of Russia and China in the development, construction, and deployment of civilian nuclear reactors around the globe raises significant geopolitical challenges for the United States, according to “Twenty-First Century U.S. Nuclear Power: A National Security Imperative,” a recent paper by two University of Georgia researchers. Read now Click here to unsubscribe.

American Nuclear Society | 555 N. Kensington Ave. | La Grange Park, IL 60526