The Duck Curve#nuclear
Xcimer Energy finalizes up to $30.5M more from DOE fusion milestone program
Denver laser fusion developer Xcimer Energy said on October 6, 2026 that it finalized an agreement for up to $30.5 million in additional funding from the Department of Energy's Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, bringing its potential milestone payments to $39.5 million. The payments come only as pre-agreed milestones are completed and independently verified.
Google backs 890 MW of Constellation nuclear uprates at 11 PJM units
Google and Constellation Energy announced on October 6, 2026 a 20-year power purchase agreement backing uprates at 11 Constellation nuclear units in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey that Constellation says will add 890 MW to the PJM grid, the first by 2028, plus a 15-year agreement for 2,700 MW from its operating PJM fleet. Constellation calls it a direct response to PJM's bring-your-own-power proposal, which both companies have asked FERC to reject except its registry.
Type One Energy raises $200M Series B for its Tennessee fusion plant
Type One Energy said on October 6, 2026 that it closed a $200 million Series B co-led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Clutterbuck Capital, with Lowercarbon Capital, Siemens Energy Ventures and SiteGround Capital among new investors, for its stellarator program and Project Infinity at TVA's Bull Run site. CEO Christofer Mowry told TechCrunch the round should get the company halfway to paying for a 400-megawatt commercial plant.
DOE clears MARVEL microreactor's final safety analysis for dry criticality
DOE's Idaho Operations Office approved the final documented safety analysis for MARVEL, the test microreactor Idaho National Laboratory leads for DOE, authorizing a dry, near-zero-power criticality configuration INL anticipates reaching in December 2026, INL said on October 6, 2026. The reactor's primary coolant system arrived at INL's Transient Reactor Test Facility in mid-September; INL's own project page still dates initial criticality to 2027.
ITER's ninth and final vacuum vessel sector arrives from Europe
Europe's last ITER vacuum vessel sector, #2, reached the site in southern France on October 2, 2026, the ninth of nine and, per the ITER Organization, the last of the core tokamak components to arrive. Six of nine sector modules are already in the tokamak pit, and ITER anticipates installing the final one by mid-2027.
DOE offers Vistra conditional loan of up to $4.2B for nuclear uprates
The US Department of Energy announced on October 5, 2026 a conditional commitment for a loan of up to $4.2 billion to Vistra for uprates and modernization at Beaver Valley, Perry and Davis-Besse, which DOE says will add 433 MW and preserve nearly 4 GW, with an option to finance potential future Comanche Peak uprates. Vistra must meet conditions before the loan is documented and funded; Meta agreed in January to buy 433 MW of uprate output from the same plants, and Vistra plans NRC uprate filings from 2029 to 2032.
US and Korea earmark up to $120B for eight reactors, with no sites named
South Korea and the United States announced Project Power on September 30, 2026, a framework to build six Westinghouse AP1000 and two APR1400 reactors in the US with $120 billion of Korea's $200 billion investment ceiling, including $20 billion of contingency, and agreed to cooperate on a $10 billion advance payment by year-end aimed at long-lead items. No specific sites, owners or power buyers are named; Westinghouse's shareholders call the terms non-binding, Brookfield cites a 5% to 10% Korean stake in Westinghouse, and Cameco puts the APR1400 waiver at about $2 billion of value per reactor.
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Texas drilling permit issued for Deep Isolation's borehole disposal pilot
Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc. said on October 1, 2026 that the Texas Railroad Commission has issued a drilling permit for its full-scale, non-radioactive Commercialization Pilot near Cameron, Texas, a deep borehole disposal demonstration, and that the authorization lets the project advance from engineering and design toward construction and field activities. A February 3, 2026 Form 8-K puts the demonstration test well at Halliburton's Cameron site, built by Halliburton, which keeps title, with construction, preparation and initial demonstration expected to take approximately three years.
NANO Nuclear agrees to buy NRC license for unbuilt New Mexico DUF6 plant
NANO Nuclear Energy said on October 1, 2026 that it agreed to buy Radnostix's assets for a never-built depleted uranium hexafluoride deconversion plant in Lea County, New Mexico, including NRC source material license SUB-1011, for $9.5 million in cash and $4.0 million in NANO stock at closing, expected in approximately 90 to 120 days subject to NRC consent to the license transfer and other conditions. The NRC issued the license in 2012; a 2025 application to transfer it to Green Salt Products was withdrawn in March 2026, and NANO says no final investment decision has been made.
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Chubu files Hamaoka 3 and 4 withdrawal; NRA issues no disposition
Chubu Electric Power's request to withdraw six Hamaoka units 3 and 4 applications, dated September 25, 2026 and signed by then-President Kingo Hayashi, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority's letter of the same date saying it will issue no disposition on them were distributed at the NRA commission's September 30, 2026 meeting. Jiji Press, citing the NRA, reports it is the first time a screening application has been withdrawn because of misconduct; the NRA's inspection continues on three matters before a SERP evaluation.
Oracle deal expected to absorb about $300 million of Point Beach fuel costs
Oracle will subscribe to a portion of Point Beach Nuclear Plant output that We Energies is required to buy; both companies said on October 2, 2026 it is expected to save We Energies customers approximately $300 million in fuel costs, Oracle says it is subject to Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approval, and We Energies says details go to the commission in the following months. Neither release gives megawatts, price or term; Oracle ties the commitment to its Port Washington data center, and the contract behind the plant's rising cost escalates each year to 2030 and 2033.
Amazon signs 20-year Calvert Cliffs PPA backing a 190 MW nuclear uprate
Constellation and Amazon announced on September 30, 2026 a 20-year power purchase agreement for 690 MW from the Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center in Lusby, Maryland, including an approximately 190 MW uprate Constellation expects online between 2030 and 2032. Constellation says the deal enables more than $3 billion of investment and will help provide the revenue certainty to relicense the plant for another 20 years; all output keeps flowing to the PJM grid, and a related retail supply agreement covers Amazon operations in the 13-state PJM market.
Newsom signs SB 925 fusion strategic plan and AB 2647 nuclear assessment
Governor Gavin Newsom announced on September 30, 2026 that he has signed SB 925 (McNerney) and AB 2647 (Calderon). SB 925 requires the California Energy Commission to submit a fusion energy strategic plan by December 31, 2029, and adds fusion manufacturing projects with a certified capital investment of at least $250 million over five years to CEQA-streamlined certification. AB 2647 requires the commission to prepare a nuclear assessment by January 1, 2028 and, in preparing it, to consider recommended revisions to state law and regulations, including to Sections 25524.1 and 25524.2.
NRC issues TVA a construction permit for a 300 MW BWRX-300 at Clinch River
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the Tennessee Valley Authority Construction Permit CPAR-2 for Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1, a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 rated 300 MWe, dated September 28, 2026 and announced September 29 as clearing the way for the nation's first commercial small modular reactor after a 14-month review. The permit sets the earliest completion date at October 1, 2031 and the latest at September 30, 2032, and a separate operating license is required before fuel load; TVA's release says no construction date has been announced.
FERC denies Oklo complaint; 750-MW project stays out of PJM's Cycle 01
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denied Oklo's complaint against PJM Interconnection on September 24, 2026, finding Oklo failed to show PJM violated its tariff when it withdrew Oklo's 750-MW nuclear, gas and fuel-cell project, which Utility Dive places in Virginia, from Cycle 01; the waiver request is moot. It reads section 403(B)(1) as one cure opportunity when PJM timely noticed deficiencies, concedes the five-cycle fault test is not in PJM's guidelines, and notes Oklo can cure the errors and refile for Cycle 02 or use the Expedited Interconnection Track, open to December 31, 2027.
Holtec pauses Palisades fuel loading after one fuel assembly tilted
Holtec Nuclear Corporation said on September 21, 2026 that fuel loading at its Palisades plant in Covert Township, Michigan remains paused after one fuel assembly tilted from its upright position after it had been placed and the fuel-handling machine grapple had been disengaged; the NRC was notified, a root cause evaluation has begun, and Holtec is preparing a license amendment request for the retrieval method. NRC spokesperson Viktoria Mitlyng told The National there was no radiological release and no workers or the public were affected.
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Lofgren fusion bill would appropriate $10 billion for commercialization
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) led the introduction of the American Leadership in Fusion Act, H.R. 10574, on September 24, 2026; GovInfo lists Lofgren as sponsor, four original cosponsors, referral to the House Science Committee and no posted text. A committee-posted draft dated September 16, 2026 would make six appropriations in five clauses summing to $10 billion by our arithmetic, put a DOE Office of Fusion under an Assistant Secretary for Fusion Energy, and list among its duties a goal to start building more than one fusion pilot power plant by December 31, 2028.
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NRC's proposed reactor rule published; comments due November 9
The NRC's proposed rule 'Regulatory Enhancements for Reactor Licensing, Decommissioning, and Operational Oversight' was published in the Federal Register on September 24, 2026 at 91 FR 60702; its major provisions, the notice says, include changes in fifteen lettered areas, and comments are due November 9, 2026. The text says removing the 15-year expiration on standard design approvals would not modify existing approvals; the draft analysis of the rule and its associated draft guidance puts net averted costs over 30 years at $311 million (7 percent discount rate) to $411 million (3 percent).
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nT-Tao and Orion sign MoU on US deployment of up-to-20 MW fusion system
nT-Tao and Orion Nuclear Energy Corporation said on September 21, 2026 that they signed a memorandum of understanding under which Orion will act as US project development and commercialization partner for nT-Tao's Compact Fusion System, an on-site unit the company says is designed to deliver up to 20 MW and remains under active development; the companies plan to work toward identifying a limited number of initial US opportunities for further evaluation. The release names no investment, site or timetable; nT-Tao dates the C3 prototype's first plasma to January 2026.
Samsung C&T commits up to $100M of investment and engineering to Kairos
Kairos Power and Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group signed a binding term sheet, announced September 21, 2026, under which Samsung C&T agreed to provide up to $100 million in direct investment and in-kind engineering services, subject to regulatory approvals, for the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant, and to join Kairos's EPC team. A Kairos spokesperson told TechCrunch the equity investment makes up $70 million of the total. The NRC issued Hermes 2's construction permits on November 21, 2024; no operating license application appears on the NRC's Hermes 2 page as of September 21, 2026.
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CNNC proposes fusion engineering platform, unit signs ITER memorandum
China National Nuclear Corporation said on September 16, 2026 that at its September 15 side event at the 70th IAEA General Conference it proposed a new international cooperation platform for fusion engineering, released an HL-3 tokamak progress report and joint experimental plan, and that China Fusion Energy Co and ITER signed a memorandum of cooperation. World Nuclear News reports the event was told HL-3, open to international cooperation since 2024, reached an ion temperature of 120 million degrees Celsius in 2025 and plans deuterium-tritium burning-plasma experiments in 2027.
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UK Fusion Energy joins MTC as Tier 1 member, to spend up to £10m on R&D
UK Fusion Energy Ltd, the UKAEA Group subsidiary delivering the STEP prototype fusion plant at West Burton, said on September 15, 2026 that it has become a Tier 1 member of the Manufacturing Technology Centre and set up an R&D contract route through which it expects to spend up to £10 million (about $13.3 million). A release datelined September 14 announced a partnership with INFINITY, which is developing a 200-acre advanced manufacturing site at Infinity Park in Derby. UKFE says procurement packages for six strategic partner opportunities are in their final stages of development.
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Natura receives Oak Ridge's 1960s FLiBE salt for its Abilene reactor
Natura Resources said on September 18, 2026 that it received FLiBE salt from DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, via Idaho National Laboratory, for the MSR-1 reactor being built at Abilene Christian University; the release says the salt contains 99.99% enriched lithium-7 and that Natura was selected through a competitive DOE solicitation issued in August 2025. ANS reports more than 2 metric tons, the secondary coolant of the 1965 to 1969 Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, now to be the primary constituent of the reactor's fuel salt. The NRC issued the construction permit on September 16, 2024.
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Westinghouse eVinci reaches zero-power criticality at 663°C
Westinghouse said on September 15, 2026 that its eVinci microreactor test reached zero-power criticality at 663°C on September 3 at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center in Nevada, and that researchers made a subcritical reactivity measurement at a peak core temperature of 1,011°C, which the company calls a record high temperature for a reactivity measurement at NCERC. The run follows the August 24 zero-power criticality at the same facility.
EIB backs Steady Energy's heat-only SMR with up to €40M convertible loan
The European Investment Bank said on September 15, 2026 it is investing up to €40 million in Steady Energy, the Finnish developer of the 50 MW (thermal) heat-only LDR-50 reactor for district heating, as a senior unsecured convertible loan it calls its first investment in SMR technology. A 3North Partners release that day says the loan carries zero percent interest and a 20-year maturity and joins about €69.8 million in irrevocable but conditional investor commitments, an IPO of up to €5 million, and a planned Nasdaq First North listing under a September 11, 2026 share exchange agreement.
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Oklo tells FERC that PJM's fault test is not in PJM's own guidelines
Oklo's September 14, 2026 answer in FERC docket EL26-101-000 says its cure for the 750-MW project (150 MW nuclear, 300 MW gas, 300 MW fuel cells) passed the flat start test for the whole facility and the 9-cycle ride-through test for the inverter-based fuel cells, the only two stability tests it says PJM's guidelines contain, and calls PJM's explanation of the 5-cycle three-phase fault it ran a post hoc rationalization. PJM's answer says the cured model was unstable with all 750 MW in service. No FERC order was on the docket as of September 16.
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UK Fusion Week: a UK-US statement, a supercomputer link and up to £3m
The Global Fusion Policy Summit in London on September 14, 2026 is first on the Fusion Industry Association's listing for UK Fusion Week, which runs to September 17. The UK and US issued a joint statement saying fusion safety standards should be distinct from fission safety standards; UKAEA and PPPL signed a declaration of intent to explore linking the SUNRISE and STELLAR-AI supercomputers; Tennessee, TVA and the UK expanded a fusion partnership; Kyoto Fusioneering committed up to £3 million to a breeder blanket experiment for STEP; and DESNZ published a fusion regulation landscape paper.
Chubu withdraws Hamaoka 3 and 4 applications after seismic-data inquiry
Chubu Electric Power's board decided on September 14, 2026 to withdraw the new-regulatory-standards applications for Hamaoka units 3 and 4 (1,100 MW and 1,137 MW) after an outside investigation committee reported on how the plant's design basis ground motion was developed. Chairman Satoru Katsuno and President Kingo Hayashi step down September 30; director Minoru Yasui becomes president October 1. The committee says it does not find the acts appropriate but also rejects reducing them to falsification or data fraud.
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Deep Fission lowers full-size canister replica 100 feet into a borehole
Deep Fission said on September 10, 2026 that a commercial drilling crew lowered a full-size, non-nuclear prototype of its Gravity reactor canister, 20 feet long, to a depth of 100 feet in a 34-inch borehole and retrieved it on September 3, 2026, using equipment already in commercial drilling service. The company's design places a pressurized water reactor about one mile underground; it said on August 6, 2026 that DOE had approved its Nuclear Safety Design Agreement under the Reactor Pilot Program.
Thea Energy's Helios stellarator design lands in 16 peer-reviewed papers
Thea Energy said on September 9, 2026 that 16 peer-reviewed papers on its Helios stellarator power plant appear in a special issue of Fusion Engineering and Design. The preconceptual design, posted as an arXiv preprint in December 2025 and, per Thea, certified by DOE in January 2026 after an independent expert review, is a two-field-period quasi-axisymmetric stellarator with an 8 m major radius that the preprint says produces 1.1 GW of thermal power and 390 MW of net electric power. Thea says its Eos integrated stellarator is scheduled to be online by 2030; no site has been announced.