Browsing: Nuclear and SMRs

The United States has brought only two new large nuclear reactors online in the past three decades, despite repeated attempts to revive the industry. The Department of Energy’s decision to make $17.5 billion in loans available for ten new reactors represents the most significant federal effort in years to reverse that trend and determine whether standardized deployment can finally overcome the cost overruns and delays that have defined modern U.S. nuclear construction.

A new concept unveiled by Jiangnan Shipyard, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, offers a glimpse into how Beijing…

China’s rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure is pushing technology companies toward new energy strategies, with Alibaba reportedly exploring the use of small modular reactors (SMRs) to supply electricity for its data centers.

Engineering company Studsvik has submitted plans for between 600 MWe and 1,400 MWe of new nuclear capacity near its Nyköping headquarters, while the Swedish government is preparing to increase state involvement in a separate small modular reactor (SMR) project at the Ringhals Nuclear Power Plant site.

The world is on track to invest $3.4 trillion in energy in 2026, yet the most significant shift is not the scale of spending but where the money is flowing. Electricity infrastructure, renewables, nuclear power, storage, and efficiency are attracting nearly twice as much investment as fossil fuels, reflecting how a second major energy crisis within five years is reshaping global perceptions of energy security.

India’s push to expand nuclear generation through private sector participation is beginning to move from policy signaling toward early project development, with Tata Power confirming it is preparing detailed plans for small modular reactor deployment in collaboration with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited.

At the Darlington New Nuclear Project, Ontario Power Generation has completed installation of a 2.1 million pound basemat module for Unit 1, a step that signals the transition from site preparation to vertical construction for what provincial authorities describe as the first SMR program in the G7.

In Kentucky, subsidiaries of PPL Corporation have initiated early-stage feasibility work with X-energy to assess deployment of the Xe-100 reactor, a high-temperature gas-cooled SMR designed for flexible baseload generation.

Wind and solar generated a combined 30 percent of the European Union’s electricity in 2025, surpassing fossil fuels at 29 percent for the first time and marking a structural shift in the bloc’s power system. This milestone reflects both accelerated renewable deployment and a policy-driven effort to reduce dependence on imported energy following recent supply disruptions.

India’s nuclear sector is entering a structurally expanded phase, with the government preparing to float bids for a 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) within the next three to six months, marking one of the first large-scale applications of standardized small modular reactor design in the country’s clean energy transition strategy.