Your Daily Nuclear Energy Briefing

Skepticism Clouds US Large Reactor Revival Efforts Amidst Growing Corporate Demand for SMRs

• Despite the Trump administration's announcements of a nuclear renaissance, including a purported $40 billion investment from Japan for GE Vernova-Hitachi BWRX-300 reactors and 10 Westinghouse AP1000s, industry executives express significant skepticism, noting Japan has yet to commit funds to a single large reactor. This comes even as the U.S. Department of Energy has conditionally committed up to $17.5 billion in loan facilities to support the construction of 10 new Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, aiming to shorten project timelines by up to three years.

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• Kairos Power has broken ground on its Hermes 2 advanced nuclear reactor plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which is slated to come online in 2030 and will help power Google data centers in the region. This plant will utilize molten salt as a coolant, a technology designed to operate at ambient pressures, thereby eliminating high-pressure explosions—a major catalyst for past reactor meltdowns like Fukushima.

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• In Europe, France's state-owned energy firm EDF temporarily shut down three nuclear reactors—Golfech Unit 2, Bugey Unit 3, and Chooz Unit 2—on July 13, 2026, due to an ongoing heatwave. This environmental safeguard prevents the discharge of overly warm water into rivers, impacting approximately 3.65 GW of France's nuclear capacity, with some reactors expected to remain offline until late July.

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