West Virginia vs. EPA Part II: U.S. Supreme Court Applies the Major Questions Doctrine to limit EPA Regulatory Authority
West Virginia vs. EPA: An Environmental Regulations Case with Broad Implications for Agency Power
Jones Day Talks: Developments in Germany's Wind Power Regulations
Welcome to the eighth 2024 issue of Currents - our e-newsletter focused on energy topics. Is Nuclear the Panacea to Data Center Load Growth? Per public data, after years of relatively flat load growth around the...more
The NRC held a public meeting on January 26 to discuss potential options for licensing fusion energy systems. This meeting is part of the NRC’s work to develop regulations to license and regulate advanced nuclear reactors as...more
While we often speak of nuclear power in terms of electricity production for our homes and businesses, it also has a number of other uses, including nuclear power and propulsion for space and maritime use, and there are a...more
On October 13, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded X-energy and TerraPower $80M each for their respective initiatives to build advanced nuclear reactors. The proposals were evaluated under the Advanced...more
The suspense is over. The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced Tuesday that it had awarded $80 million each to TerraPower and X-energy under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) for them to build two advanced...more
The commissioners of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved almost all of the staff’s proposed approach for adding a new part to its regulations, 10 CFR Part 53, to govern licensing of advanced nuclear reactors. ...more
The field of nuclear decommissioning is in the midst of a major transformation, led by innovations in the United States. Since 1964, 36 nuclear reactors have shut down, 21 reactors are currently undergoing decommissioning,...more
Congress was away from Washington for much of the month of August for the annual recess and is scheduled to return after Labor Day for a limited work period before breaking again to allow members to campaign ahead of the...more
Advanced nuclear reactors promising smaller, simpler, and safer nuclear energy are moving closer and closer to commercial reality. As we recently blogged, Oklo Inc., a California-based company, recently submitted the...more
The United States has been struggling to compete with its peers in securing nuclear power plant construction projects around the world. One of the factors impacting U.S. competitiveness is that many foreign countries such as...more
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced new key dates for companies considering applying for funding for its Advanced Reactor Demonstration (ARD) program. Morgan Lewis previously reported on the ARD Funding...more
The NRC published notice of a draft Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) (previously published in ADAMS) in the Federal Register on March 31. The draft RIS purports to “clarify” licensees’ requirements pursuant to 10 CFR...more
The Energy Impact Center (EIC), which brought us the well-known Titans of Nuclear podcast series, has recently launched “OPEN100,” which provides important open-source information intended to streamline the power plant design...more
The UAE Gets Green Light to Operate the Arab World’s First Nuclear Power Plant - "The project, which national officials describe as a strategic and economic imperative for the UAE, is more than a decade in the making and...more
The US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is requesting feedback on the proposed Nuclear Energy Research and Development Act by Wednesday, February 19. The Committee hopes to introduce the...more
Investec’s ZAR 1bn fund to buy up stakes in South African green power projects - The investment vehicle, set up with UK Climate Investments, wants equity in operating renewable energy projects....more
Technology and the critical infrastructure that support our personal pursuits and business operations are ripe targets for cyberattacks. In particular, the electrical grid that transmits electricity from its point of...more
Who would have thought that a large Japanese city would change the entire German energy environment? The German federal government responded almost immediately to the tragic nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in March...more
On November 15, 2018, the United States Department of Energy announced $98 million in funding for new projects as part of the latest open funding opportunity, OPEN 2018, from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy...more
The Expert Finance Working Group on Small Nuclear Reactors (EFWG), an independent group convened in January 2018 by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, recently published its report with recommendations...more
“Defense in depth” refers to employing multiple layers of security that makes it more difficult for cyber hackers to gain access to sensitive plant control networks. These can include complex passwords, shorter password...more
This is the first installment of a two-part series exploring how critical infrastructure like power plants are proactive in implementing protective measures to safeguard against future cyber attacks, but challenges remain....more
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced the award of approximately $60 million to 13 advanced reactor projects—the first under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) “U.S. Industry Opportunities for...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued on March 1st a pre-publication version of a proposed rule that would amend the regulations for the disposal of coal combustion residuals (“CCR”) from electric...more
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing February 6, 2018 to discuss the challenges facing America’s nuclear infrastructure, including advanced reactor development. ...more