Edwin Lyman

To further reduce dose rates to minimally acceptable levels only requires less than a meter of additional concrete thickness. Sure, you could save some bucks by shaving a few tens of centimeters of wall thickness. Hard to believe that would have any significant cost impact.

And who is spreading the absurd idea that ALARA provisions have "forced operators to incorporate concrete shields into their reactor designs"? It takes several meters of shielding to reduce doses just so that workers don't start dropping dead from acute radiation sickness.

Second, the NRC never "forced changes" to the AP1000 design. That's historical revisionism. Southern Company's Congressional testimony from January admits that detailed engineering and design work was not complete at the time it submitted its application. www.congress.gov/119/meeting/...

First, it says, referring to the AP1000 projects at Vogtle and Summer, that "regulators have even forced changes to designs mid-construction, as happened in 2009 ..." But reactor construction (pouring of the basemat concrete) did not begin at either of those sites until 2013.

The abysmal @washingtonpost.com editorial page hit a new nadir today with its piece on "America's #nuclear future." It's not just that its policy pronouncements are wrong-headed. It is undermined by errors that betray an utter lack of interest in basic fact-checking.

A terrifying #fridaythethirteenth surprise from @NRCgov: it has issued a license for the X-energy TRISO-X #nuclear fuel fabrication facility 3 months ahead of schedule. Looks like a lot of exemptions were hastily granted to make this happen.

Local opposition in Texas had a big win last week when the NRC agreed to examine financial concerns about Dow/X-energy.

But the 'containment-free' reactor push isn't going away.

"a direct threat to the health and safety " - @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social
nuclearcosts.org/dow-chemical...

Excellent story by Rachel Frazin as the U.S. system for #nuclear power safety and security regulation is about to fall off a cliff.

thehill.com/policy/energ...

‘Missing’ documents complicate restart of retired Michigan nuclear plant The report is needed to confirm materials used in repairs meet safety requirements.

Holtec's hubris and incompetence are on full display here.

www.mlive.com/news/2026/02...

Nuclear power output remains partly reduced, Ukraine's Energy Ministry says Work has continued to deal with the aftermath of two large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system over the past week. Nuclear power output remains partly reduced.

Russia's attacks on Ukraine's power grid and the substations that serve its #nuclear plants have got to stop. The situation is very unstable.

www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...

The nuclear industry has long complained about security rules @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social told me. "They don't know why they have to pay so much money to protect against something they think is never going to happen."

He thinks the new order lets these companies "write their own ticket" on security.

You don't know?

Trump says Putin made 'major progress' on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant Read more

It figures that Trump would make two false statements about the #Zaporizhzhia #nuclear plant. It is not the largest nuclear plant in the world. And it certainly can't be restarted quickly.

newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/trump-s...

Featuring @jonatomic.bsky.social, @richardmnephew.bsky.social, @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social, and @atomicbell.bsky.social.

NRC’s Rushed Approval of Bill Gates’ Experimental Wyoming Nuclear Reactor will Imperil Public Health, the Environment NRC’s Rushed Approval of Bill Gates’ Experimental Wyoming Nuclear Reactor Will Imperil Public Health, the Environment

www.ucs.org/about/news/r...

I'd say this was a joke but it's no laughing matter. They only way the NRC could approve this construction permit on such a ridiculously short schedule is by sweeping every significant safety issue under the rug or putting it off until the operating license application. www.nrc.gov/sites/defaul...

I was wondering about this. The draft peace plan proposes restarting the Zaporizhzhia #nuclear plant under IAEA supervision and sharing the power between Russia and Ukraine. But who will be the regulator?

www.reuters.com/business/ene...

On Friday the South #Texas Project-2 #nuclear reactor automatically scrammed at full power after the main transformer locked out. Around the same time the reactor also lost two offsite power sources, causing two emergency diesel generators to start up. The reactor is still down.

I don't believe Constellation has even applied for the update yet. But Meta should know if it is going to subsidize operation of an unsafe nuclear plant.

My goodness. On Friday an Unusual Event was declared for more than 3 hours at the Clinton-1 #nuclear reactor in #Illinois after the emergency reserve aux transformer shorted out, causing a loss of offsite power. A worker was electrocuted and killed. A warning sign of the impact of reduced oversight?

Ukrainian strikes disrupt power and heating to 2 major cities in Russia Ukrainian strikes have disrupted power and heating in two major Russian cities near the Ukrainian border, according to local Russian officials.

Substations serving #nuclear plants were targeted.

apnews.com/article/russ...

Declassified cable reinforces proliferation concerns about high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel The declassified document reveals an urgent need for an international review of the proliferation risks of HALEU.

🚨 JUST IN: A newly declassified cable reinforces proliferation concerns about high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel, and reveals an urgent need for an international review of #HALEU use, writes Ed Lyman (@nucsafetyucs.bsky.social).

#uranium #enrichment #proliferation #IAEA #safeguards #nukesky

This thing was put together so sloppily that it designates the NRC point of contact for implementation as "Director of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Regulation," an office that doesn't exist. So there IS no official NRC entity designated to carry out the MOU right now.

Here's a "rubber stamp" amendment to the NRC-DOE MOU on #nuclear innovation that commits NRC to establishing "an expedited pathway to approve advanced reactor designs that have been authorized and tested by DOE." Note: this can only be legally done through rulemaking.
www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2530/...

Hoping Kansas will get ‘advanced’ nuclear energy? Careful what you wish for in the Age of Damocles. • Kansas Reflector Those vying to bring TerraPower jobs to their communities might want to consider the safety and security risks.

What's the matter with #Kansas? Some misguided folks want to build a Natrium fast #nuclear reactor there.

kansasreflector.com/2025/11/02/h...

Navy Lab in SF Became Hub for Human Radiation Experiments From 1946 to 1963, scientists exposed servicemen and dockworkers to radiation through war games, decontamination tests and medical studies.

For background: www.sfpublicpress.org/exposed-part...

SF officials 'deeply concerned' after airborne plutonium detected Plutonium was detected at the decommissioned Hunters Point shipyard.

www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...

Yesterday an Unusual Event was declared at the South #Texas Project #nuclear plant at 7:11 pm CT after notification of a "credible security threat" (!) Unit 1 was operating at full power an Unit 2 was down. The event lasted over 2 hours. N.B.: this is a rare occurrence.

Just unbelievable.