The US Department of Energy and National Academy of Sciences have been directed to work together to assess the current status of US and international research on low-dose radiation and to formulate a long-term research agenda under a bill approved by the US House of Representatives.

International cooperation has seen 36 kg of high-enriched uranium removed from a scientific institute in Kazakhstan and returned to Russia.

As Fitch warns that market reforms are needed to prevent a premature reduction in US nuclear power capacity, a report from Illinois proposes market solutions to head off the threatened closure of five Exelon reactors.

Westinghouse is to supply its newest next-generation nuclear fuel product for use in the Palo Verde nuclear power plant under a $250 million contract with operator Arizona Public Services (APS).

The newly announced merger of uranium companies Energy Fuels and Uranerz Energy will bring together conventional and in-situ leach mining operations to create the largest integrated uranium producer focused solely on the USA.

Bechtel and Westinghouse have launched a partnership to provide tailored decontamination, decommissioning and remediation (DD&R) services to US nuclear power plants.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant closed on 29 December due to "wholesale market flaws" which owner Entergy said made its operation uneconomic. The single-reactor power plant represented 72% of electricity generated in the state.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has started a multi-year campaign to process aluminum-clad used nuclear fuel stored at the Savannah River Site.

Developing new nuclear technologies requires overcoming considerable financial and regulatory hurdles, as the promise of clean, efficient electricity remains essential to US energy policy, the Nuclear Energy Institute said, following a meeting on 11 December of a House Science Committee.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has formally issued a solicitation for federal loan guarantees worth up to $12.5 billion to support advanced nuclear energy projects.

A large structural component - the CA05 module - has been installed at the VC Summer unit 2, the first of two Westinghouse AP1000s under construction at the site in South Carolina.

An inspection of an underground pipe at a US nuclear power plant has been successfully completed using GE Hitachi's Surveyor robot. Previously, such examinations have usually involved excavation work.