Why so blue? 🔵 This is what spent nuclear fuel looks like when it was removed from Tennessee Valley Authority's Sequoyah 1 reactor during a refueling outage. That blue glow you see is caused by a phenomenon known as Cherenkov Radiation. It happens when electrically charged particles such as protons or electrons, travel faster than the speed of light in a clear medium like water. Spent fuel is initially stored in steel-lined concrete pools of water that are about 40 feet deep and provide adequate shielding for anyone near the pool. The fuel assemblies sit in racks at the bottom of the pool for at least a few years until they are cool enough to be transferred to dry storage casks. They are then stored on-site at the plant. It’s DOE’s responsibility to eventually dispose of this fuel. We’re currently working on a consent-based siting process to site one or more consolidated interim storage facilities to help reduce the number of locations at which spent fuel is stored across the country until a permanent disposal pathway is determined. 📸: TVA
Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
Government Administration
Washington, District of Columbia 84,141 followers
Advancing new technologies to help meet future clean energy goals with nuclear energy ⚛️.
About us
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) mission is to advance nuclear power to meet the nation's energy, environmental, and national security needs. Under the guidance of three research objectives, NE resolves barriers to technical, cost, safety, security, and proliferation resistance through early-stage research, development, and demonstration to: -Enhance the long-term viability and competitiveness of the existing U.S. reactor fleet. -Develop an advanced reactor pipeline. -Implement and maintain national strategic fuel cycle and supply chain infrastructure.
- Website
-
https://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy
External link for Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
- Industry
- Government Administration
- Company size
- 10,001+ employees
- Headquarters
- Washington, District of Columbia
- Founded
- 1977
- Specialties
- Energy policy, research and development, science, nuclear energy
Updates
-
LPO is ready to serve in more ways than some previously thought 👇
How is LPO’s new Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program positioned to help power America’s nuclear energy resurgence, leverage existing energy assets to help meet load growth demands, and support energy communities across the country? LPO Director Jigar Shah summed it all up earlier from the site of the Holtec Palisades nuclear energy project in western Michigan, where today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the closing of a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to help bring a nuclear power plant back to life for the first time in American history via this Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)-created program! Learn more about how EIR financing is poised to help accelerate the clean energy transition nationwide at Energy.gov/LPO/EIR and read more details about the Holtec Palisades project at its LPO project page: https://lnkd.in/gXMFQ6TN LEARN MORE: • LPO's Holtec Palisades Project Page: https://lnkd.in/gXMFQ6TN • LPO Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program: Energy.gov/LPO/EIR • LPO Title 17 Clean Energy Financing: https://lnkd.in/gN2jDVbw • DOE Pathways to Commercial Liftoff Advanced Nuclear Energy Updated Report: https://lnkd.in/gbnik7Uz • The Biden-Harris Administration "Investing in America" Agenda: WhiteHouse.gov/Invest • Read about other recent project announcements on LPO's blog: https://lnkd.in/g23s_Uk4 • Explore LPO's full portfolio of projects: Energy.gov/LPO/Projects #DOELPO #FinancingAmericanEnergy #BridgeToBankability #DeployDeployDeploy #Liftoff #OpenForBusiness #BuiltInAmerica #FinancingInnovation #FinancingImpact #FinancingClimateSolutions #FinancingAdvancedNuclear #FinancingNuclearEnergy #EIR #InvestingInAmerica #LPONews #FinancialClose
-
COMING SOON: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) just launched a $100 million nuclear safety training and workforce development program to maintain the safe and efficient operations of our nation’s fleet of 94 reactors. Up to $50 million is available in the first round of funding. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eqHJ7AGi
-
NOW REPORTING: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) releases new updates to its report on how to commercialize advanced reactors at a faster clip. Read the full report below or check out the 5 major key trends here: https://lnkd.in/gb-XaRu3
-
A truly historic loan for the nuclear sector and the nation's clean energy transition.
Bringing a retired nuclear power plant back to life for the first time in American history! Today, LPO and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the closing of a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to Holtec Palisades to help finance the restoration and resumption of service of an 800-MW nuclear generating station in Covert Township, Michigan. This project represents a first-of-a-kind effort by DOE to restart an American nuclear power plant and is also the first financial close of a project financed via LPO's Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program. (See: https://lnkd.in/gWi8EQA9) The Palisades Nuclear Plant, which ceased operations in May 2022, will be brought back online and upgraded to produce clean baseload power until at least 2051, subject to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing approvals. The NRC also issued new guidance to ensure the restart is performed safely and to high standards. Once complete, this project will be the first recommissioning of a retired nuclear power plant in U.S. history—underscoring President Biden and Vice President Harris’ deep commitment to retaining and creating clean power jobs and advancing the U.S. nuclear industry while tackling the climate crisis and helping to achieve our domestic greenhouse gas reduction goals. This project also works toward the widespread deployment of advanced nuclear energy as described in the new update to the DOE Pathways to Commercial Liftoff Advanced Nuclear report (https://lnkd.in/gwuSPwWt), also announced today with a webinar this Friday, October 4th: https://lnkd.in/gKZ-pxtt Read the full DOE announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gWi8EQA9 and see LPO's Holtec Palisades project page for more details: https://lnkd.in/gXMFQ6TN LEARN MORE: • LPO's Holtec Palisades Project Page: https://lnkd.in/gXMFQ6TN • LPO Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program: Energy.gov/LPO/EIR • LPO Title 17 Clean Energy Financing: https://lnkd.in/gN2jDVbw • DOE Pathways to Commercial Liftoff Advanced Nuclear Energy Updated Report: https://lnkd.in/gbnik7Uz • The Biden-Harris Administration "Investing in America" Agenda: WhiteHouse.gov/Invest • Read about other recent project announcements on LPO's blog: https://lnkd.in/g23s_Uk4 • Explore LPO's full portfolio of projects: Energy.gov/LPO/Projects #DOELPO #FinancingAmericanEnergy #BridgeToBankability #DeployDeployDeploy #Liftoff #OpenForBusiness #BuiltInAmerica #FinancingInnovation #FinancingImpact #FinancingClimateSolutions #FinancingAdvancedNuclear #FinancingNuclearEnergy #EIR #InvestingInAmerica #LPONews #FinancialClose
-
Make it 5-for-5! Way to show up in Tuscaloosa today on #CollegeGameDay 🏈 The legend of I ❤️ NUCLEAR ENERGY continues 🙌 📸: Mark Nelson
-
And the streak continues. Big props to our very own Garrett Smith for making it on #CBSsports last week in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That's four straight weeks of I ❤️ HEART NUCLEAR ENERGY signs making it on college football shows across the country! Who's ready to make it 5-for-5? 🏈: Alabama vs Georgia #CollegeGameDay 🏈: UCF vs Colorado #FOX #BigNoonKickOff
-
Meet the nation's largest generator of clean power. Plant Vogtle is the home to four commercial reactors, including two new AP1000 units. They are the first new reactors built in the U.S. in more than 30 years. #NationalCleanEnergyWeek
-
PRO TIP: Follow our Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) page for updates on projects and opportunities for researchers to get access to some of the world's best nuclear R&D resources. No other user facility in the U.S. offers a wider variety of reactors, hot cells, beamlines and analysis instrumentation than this program 👇
-
ACCESS GRANTED 🔑: This facility at Argonne National Laboratory is home to an ion beam accelerator and transmission electron microscope that can simulate a year’s worth of reactor irradiation damage in just one day. North Carolina State University researchers will be able to use the facility to study how materials respond to irradiation as part of our Rapid Turnaround Experiment awards announced today. Learn more about all 19 awarded projects: https://lnkd.in/ewiYATkd H/T: Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF)