Federal agency
Appears in 7 stories · Last updated Nov 10, 2026
Issued the construction permit; will review a separate operating license
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit on November 9 for Long Mott Generating Station: four Xe-100 reactors on Dow's Seadrift chemical complex in Calhoun County, Texas. It is the agency's first construction permit for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in nearly 60 years, and its first for an advanced reactor built to serve a factory rather than a grid.
Updated Yesterday
Published the final rule in the Federal Register on November 3; effective December 3, 2026.
A contested hearing over a nuclear license could once drag on for years, outlasting the technical review it was meant to challenge. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalized a rule on October 30 capping those proceedings at 18, 12, or 6 months and published it November 3 for a December 3 effective date.
Updated 6 days ago
Finalized rule on reusing DOE and Pentagon data in October 2026; wider rule overhaul to continue into 2027
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalized a rule on October 22 that lets reactor applicants reuse analyses and test data from projects already authorized by the Energy or Defense departments. The agency targets about 18 months for a first-of-a-kind review and 12 months for later applications.
Updated Oct 23
As of October 2026: Reviewing Constellation's future applications for Calvert Cliffs uprate and license renewal
Amazon abandoned plans for a data center beside Maryland's Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in August after fierce community opposition. Two months later it signed a deal to spend billions upgrading the plant instead.
Updated Oct 8
As of May 2026: Gatekeeper for every SMR license
No US utility has ordered a newly designed commercial reactor and seen it come online since the 1970s. On April 24, 2026, the first company trying to break that drought rang the Nasdaq bell. X-energy priced its IPO at $23 a share ($4 above its marketed range) and raised $1.02 billion, the largest US nuclear public offering in years. Shares closed their first day up 27%, giving the company a market valuation of roughly $11.9 billion. The offering was oversubscribed more than 15 times.
Updated May 31
As of May 2026: Issued TerraPower construction permit March 2026; published Part 53 rule; proposing ALARA revision; undergoing major internal reorganization to meet EO 14300 deadlines
On March 4, 2026, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a construction permit for TerraPower's Natrium reactor at Kemmerer, Wyoming—the first permit for a commercial non-light-water reactor in more than 40 years. TerraPower broke ground on April 23 with Bechtel as general contractor, making Kemmerer the first utility-scale advanced nuclear plant under active construction in the US.
As of May 2026: Modernizing approval framework for digital control systems
The NRC approved something unprecedented in January 2026: replacing analog safety controls at an operating reactor with fully digital systems. Constellation's $167 million upgrade at Limerick replaces 1980s-era control rooms with digital command centers — the first time regulators have approved swapping multiple analog safety systems for a single digital platform with fuel rods still running.
Updated May 21
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