Nuclear

Utah Republicans, led by State Senator Derrin Owens, are advocating for the state to host a federal nuclear waste storage and recycling site in Millard County's salt deposit. The push follows a Trump administration call for volunteer states to develop 'nuclear lifecycle innovation campuses.' Governor Spencer Cox said the state is evaluating the proposal amid local divisions.

March 22, 2026 Reported by AI

Ars Technica published an article detailing how Trump invited Silicon Valley into America’s nuclear power regulator. The piece features the quote: “Assume the NRC is going to do whatever we tell the NRC to do.” It was published on March 21, 2026.

The Pentagon and the Department of Energy flew an unfueled, 5-megawatt microreactor built by California startup Valar Atomics on a C-17 from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah on Feb. 15, 2026, in what officials described as the first such airlift aimed at speeding deployment of portable nuclear power for military and civilian use.

February 13, 2026 Reported by AI

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu unveiled the third multi-year energy program (PPE3) on Thursday, February 12, published by decree the next day. This strategic document, delayed over two years due to political tensions, relies on a majority nuclear electricity production while acknowledging the importance of renewables. Targets for onshore wind and photovoltaic have been reduced under pressure from the right and far right.

Tokyo Electric Power Company restarted its No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture on Wednesday evening. This marks TEPCO's first reactor restart since the 2011 Fukushima accident, though local residents remain divided. Commercial operations are slated for February 26.

January 17, 2026 Reported by AI

The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute has detected elevated levels of iodine-129, an isotope indicating nuclear activity, in seawater samples from the West Philippine Sea. These levels are higher than in any other part of the country, despite the Philippines lacking active nuclear power plants or weapons programs. The findings stem from analysis of 119 seawater samples across various sites.