Headline News:

• “US DOE Pushes Ahead With Plan To Fast-Track New-Age Nuclear Reactors” • The DOE recently launched its Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, selecting eleven projects to fast-track. With a goal is to see at least three test reactors reach criticality by July 4, 2026, it will use its own authorization process instead of the standard routes. [The Cool Down]

Nuclear Plant (Aalo Atomics image)

• “Small Modular Reactors And The Big Questions Of Cost And Waste” • Small modular reactors are advertised as cheaper, safer, faster to build, and easier to finance than traditional reactors. A study published in Progress in Nuclear Energy takes a sober look at those claims and finds them wanting. The study examines both costs and waste. [CleanTechnica]
• “Study Links Frequent, Severe Heat Waves To Pollution From Major Fossil Fuel Producers” • Planet-warming emissions from 180 cement, oil, and gas producers contributed significantly to all of the heat events considered in a study published in the journal Nature. The study examined a set of 213 heat waves that took place from 2000 to 2023. [ABC News]
• “Musk Loses Crown As World’s Richest Person To Software Giant Larry Ellison” • Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday, according to wealth tracker Bloomberg, as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. [ABC News]
• “Burgum: No Future For US Offshore Wind” • Donald Trump’s Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said there is “not a future” for offshore wind projects in the US. “We’re ending the era of the mass subsidies of offshore wind.” Burgum made the comments speaking alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright at a natural gas conference in Milan. [reNews]

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