The Nuclear Innovation Alliance and Partnership for Global Security, two US think tanks, today released a joint report defining a comprehensive strategy for the USA to become the global leader in advanced nuclear power. They said the strategy outlines the domestic and international activities that will be required to ensure the USA can lead in the development and deployment of next generation nuclear technologies through collaboration between government, industry, civil society, and other nations.

The US Administration has launched its innovation effort to create American jobs while tackling the climate crisis with the creation of a new working group of the National Climate Task Force and the announcement of a new USD100 million federal funding opportunity to support transformational low-carbon energy technologies.

There are no fundamental geologic limitations to disposing of radioactive waste in deep horizontal boreholes in Estonia, a study conducted by US nuclear waste disposal company Deep Isolation on behalf of Fermi Energia has concluded. Such a repository could be used for the disposal of used fuel from small modular reactors proposed for deployment by the Estonian company. Fermi Energia is the first European company to contract with Deep Isolation on a preliminary geologic study to manage advanced reactor waste.

A virtual meeting was held on 13-14 January to launch the new Studsvik Material Integrity Life Extension project. The five-year project, supported by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, aims to investigate and improve the understanding of materials ageing and degradation in metallic components during the operation of a nuclear power plant.

The UK and Japan have signed a research and technology deployment collaboration agreement to help automate nuclear decommissioning and aspects of fusion energy production. The collaboration is expected to lead to new robotics and automation techniques used in Japan and the UK.

The Office of Nuclear Energy, part of the US Department of Energy, has outlined its plan to support the existing US nuclear generation fleet, demonstrate the latest innovations in nuclear energy technologies and explore new market opportunities. The Strategic Vision is a blueprint for NE to achieve its mission of advancing nuclear energy science and technology to meet US energy, environmental and economic needs.

Nuclear science and non-power nuclear applications have never been more important, writes Dr. Yuri Seleznev, rector of Rosatom Technical Academy (Rosatom Tech).

The UK and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) have signed a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. This is separate from the wider UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement that was also announced on 24 December and which has since been approved by ambassadors from the 27 EU Member States, paving the way for it to take effect on 1 January. UK lawmakers will tomorrow return to the House of Commons, the lower chamber of parliament, to vote on the so-called post-Brexit trade deal.

The US Department of Energy has announced USD20 million in awards for the third of three programmes under its new Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy has selected three teams to receive FY2020 funding for the ARDP's Advanced Reactor Concepts-20 programme.

The US Congress voted to approve appropriations for fiscal year 2021 that includes USD1.5 billion for the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy. The appropriations also include USD150 million to initiate the uranium reserve programme to address challenges to the production of domestic uranium.

The Canadian government has released a national Small Modular Reactor Action Plan, which responds to the 53 recommendations identified in the country's SMR Roadmap that was launched in November 2018. The plan lays out the next steps for the development, demonstration and deployment of SMRs for multiple applications at home and abroad.

The UK government has called on local communities across the country to put forward proposals to host the UK’s prototype fusion energy power plant. Today's announcement follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and the UK’s ambition to be the first country in the world to commercialise fusion energy technology.