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X-energy Commences First Irradiation Tests of Advanced TRISO-X Nuclear Fuel at Idaho National Laboratory

LCG, November 6, 2025--X-energy Reactor Company, LLC, (X-energy) and the U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy today announced the start of confirmatory irradiation testing at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to qualify X-energy’s proprietary TRISO-X fuel pebbles for commercial use in the Xe-100 Small Modular Reactor (SMR). (TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic). This is the first time that TRISO-X fuel pebbles will undergo irradiation testing in a U.S. lab, which is a critical step in meeting requirements set forth by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the commercial deployment of advanced reactors that will use the fuel.

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NextEra Energy and Google Collaborate on Accelerating Nuclear Power Deployment

LCG, October 28, 2025--NextEra Energy and Google yesterday announced two agreements that will help meet growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) with clean, reliable, 24/7 nuclear power and strengthen the nation's nuclear leadership. First, Google signed a new, 25-year agreement for power generated at the Duane Arnold Energy Center, Iowa's only nuclear power facility. The 601-MW boiling water reactor unit was shut down in 2020 and is expected to commence operations by the first quarter of 2029, pending regulatory approvals to restart the plant.

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Industry News

Nuclear Regulators Ask Plants Be Inspected for Corrosion

LCG, February 25, 2003The Nuclear Regulatory Agency issued new inspection regulations earlier this month and has restated its intentions regarding plant safety.

Ever since the Davis-Besse plant in Ohio was found to be suffering from nozzle cracks and a hole through its reactor cap from boric acid-related corrosion, NRC has been talking about tougher regulations. The agency issued new rules on the 11th of February, stating that all 60 pressurized water reactors must use chemical or ultrasonic tests to check for cracks and leaks.

The new tests will have to be done at each refueling outage for the most vulnerable reactors.

Initially NRC requested that the reactors be inspected more thoroughly, but when owners said they would run the test once and wait for additional orders, NRC went ahead in mandating inspections, although owners will be allowed to apply for some amount of inspection leeway.

NRC has asked the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to back a permanent rule on inspections but may have to wait several years for this support.

Some reactors have had newer nickel alloy components substituted in, but NRC has said that this substitution does not exempt reactors from inspections as the alloy is too new to be proven as corrosion-resistant.

Radiation from nuclear plant materials and acidic conditions often make metals more susceptible to corrosion, and NRC officials have said that greater focus will be placed on the boric acid in reactors.
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