- DOE Tags 16 Federal Sites for AI Data Centers
- EDITORIAL: DOE’s Data Center RFI and DOGE Firings of Agency Staff Don’t Mix
- CNSC Issues Construction License for BWRX300 at OPG’s Darlington Site
- NANO Nuclear Takes Over Ultra Safe Project at University of Illinois
- UK Government Invests £20 Million In ‘Starmaker One’ to Accelerate Nuclear Fusion
- Fusion Industry Trade Group Calls for Increased Federal Funding of Fusion Energy
- Ghana Selects China for 1st Full Size Nuclear Power Plant, NuScale for SMRs
- New Book ~ How Diablo Canyon Was Saved from the Wrecking Ball
DOE Tags 16 Federal Sites for AI Data Centers
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans this week to help ensure that America will lead the world in artificial intelligence (AI). A second objective is to lower energy costs by co-locating data centers and new energy infrastructure at DOE sites.
DOE released a Request for Information (RFI) to inform the agency about possible use of DOE land for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure development to support growing demand for data centers.
DOE has identified 16 potential sites, many of them at national labs, which the agency says are uniquely positioned for rapid data center construction. Among the benefits of the plan, some include existing energy infrastructure and/or have the ability to fast-track permitting for new energy generation such as nuclear (SMRs and micro reactors) (see list of sites below).
The Department is seeking input from data center developers, energy developers, and the broader public to develop this partnership. The information collected will be used to inform development, encourage private-public partnerships, and enable the construction of AI infrastructure at select DOE sites with a target of first AI data centers at federal sites in operation by the end of 2027.
The federal sites also offer the industry a chance to partner with DOE’s research facilities co-located on the sites. DOE is touting the opportunity for further R&D advancements in both the power system designs needed to run the centers and in developing next-generation data center hardware. Publicly available information about each site, including location, available acreage, and other characteristics is provided in appendices to the RFI.
RFI Information Requested
DOE is seeking input on a range of topics, including:
• Industry interest in any of the locations identified in the Appendices for consideration.
• Potential data center designs, technologies, and operational models that could be
deployed.
• Potential power needs, timelines, and approaches to co-locating energy sources with data
centers or sources for surplus interconnection capacity.
• Financial and contractual considerations related to leasing DOE owned or managed land
for data center development.
• Potential benefits and collaboration opportunities associated with siting AI infrastructure
on DOE sites.
• Economic, realty, and environmental information.
• Potential challenges associated with siting AI infrastructure on DOE sites, and any
additional information required for potential solicitations.
Additionally, the RFI aims to gather information on potential development approaches, technology solutions, operational models, and economic considerations associated with establishing AI infrastructure.
List of Sites in the RFI
1. Idaho National Laboratory
2. Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
3. Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant
4. Argonne National Laboratory
5. Brookhaven National Laboratory
6. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
7. National Energy Technology Laboratory
8. National Renewable Energy Laboratory
9. Oak Ridge National Laboratory
10. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
11. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
12. Los Alamos National Laboratory
13. Sandia National Laboratories
14. Savannah River Site
15. Pantex Plant
16. Kansas City National Security Campus
Questions about the RFI can be addressed to Neelesh Nerurkar, Director of Infrastructure Policy in the DOE Office of Policy, by email to: [email protected] or by phone at (202) 586-8401 or (202) 586-2737
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~ Neutron Bytes Editorial ~
DOE’s Data Center RFI and DOGE Firings of Agency Staff Don’t Mix
There are multiple problems with DOE’s plan to put AI data centers at federal lab sites.
The first is that complex and lengthy federal site selection and approval requirements will encounter a head-on collision with data centers needs which are driven by a paradigm of “need it built yesterday.”
Second, this ambitious milestone of having a AI data center operating on electricity from an SMR or micro reactor at a federal site by 2027 runs up against the reality that no SMR or micro reactor will be ready by that date.
This means any new data centers developed on federal sites will use the existing power grids and whatever generation plants support it. While NuScale is licensed for its 50 MWe SMR, none are under construction. None of the other SMR or micro reactor developers have yet submitted their designs for NRC review which means even breaking ground is unlikely to occur until the end of this decade.
Third, and most serious, is that the Administration’s slash and burn approach to cutting federal staff seems not to be very far off from the axiom “off with the heads” regardless of whose head is axed.
AI Data Centers Need Speed but DOE Can’t Find the Gas Pedal.
With regard to locating AI data centers at DOE federal sites, it appears that the agency may be thinking, along with other federal agencies, that AI data centers are nationally significant critical infrastructure. DOE national lab sites, with their strict security measures, would offer a degree of protection not available at commercial sites.
An issue for locating these facilities as “tenants” at federal lab sites is that every one of them will require an environmental impact assessment and have to meet a raft of regulatory requirements that would not apply in a private sector industry setting. Clearing them will take lots of time, which data center developers do not have.
Data center investors, and the firms that build and operate them, have a “need it yesterday” mindset which given the explosive growth of AI as an industry, is also their reality. Dealing with the highly structured and risk averse decision processes that characterize DOE’s approach to program management, the only AI data centers that make sense for federals sites are those that support AI applications for defense and national security uses or defense industries.
DOGE Chainsaw Massacre of Staff Will Leave DOE Dumbfounded
A top of mind issue is that Elon Musk and his DOGE minions have shredded the workforce at DOE sending thousands of highly experienced program managers out the door without any consideration of future needs of the agency, or, for that matter, the national interest. As of April 4th, the Associated Press (AP) reports that DOE is planning to fire 8,500 of the agency’s 17,500 employees or 49% of the workforce
The majority of the national labs operated by the Energy Department are run by contractors and would not, for now, be affected by layoff plans.
According to the AP report, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio said gutting the department would raise energy costs for families and businesses, slow innovation and put national and global security at risk.
“It is extremely concerning that the department is reportedly considering firing the very experts tasked with maintaining a safe, secure and reliable nuclear weapons stockpile,” the two Democrats said in a joint statement to The Associated Press. “These dangerous cuts should not transpire. We call for this foolishness to be set aside.”
The Administration has already put its worst foot forward with DOE. Last February DOGE laid off 500 hundred employees of NNSA who work directly on the management of nuclear weapons. When the bizarre error was discovered, the agency had to scramble to find the fired employees, who had scattered to the four winds, to get them to return to their duties. One of the national security risks of arbitrarily firing people with these skills is that the places where they can get new employment are other nations with nuclear weapons capabilities.
What it boils down to is that there are serious questions about whether DOE can carry out a program of any size or complexity with half of its brain lobotomized by arbitrary and capricious layoffs decided on by a billionaire who waves chainsaws on stage to reinforce the aggressive nature of his efforts to reduce the size and scope of the entire federal government.
At Twitter, now ‘X”, Musk slashed the workforce to smithereens. DOE isn’t a social media platform. It is an essential government function in charge of the nation’s energy security. There is no justification for laying off half the agency’s workforce except to fulfill the fevered ambitions of an unaccountable billionaire buddy left to his own devices by a President who without a care went golfing the day after tanking the stock markets, and the 401K accounts of tens of millions of Americans, with his reckless tariff policies.
If Musk and DOGE prevail in slashing DOE’s workforce in half, it is unlikely it will have the capacity to site AI data centers at federal labs, or do much of anything else. By the time the dust settles, all that will be left behind will be a Secretary of Energy, a contract specialist, and a security guard to patrol the long empty halls of the Forrestal Building.
NB: The tariffs will likely impact supply chains for SMRs. For instance, Japan’s Mitsubishi, and South Korea’s Hyundai and Samsung are major suppliers of RPVs, steam systems, switchyard gear, etc. Prices for these products will go up impacting, eventually, once SMRs are built with them, the delivered price of electricity and process heat from SMRs. These are long term impacts.
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CNSC Issues Construction License for BWRX300 at OPG’s Darlington Site
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has issued a construction license to Ontario Power Generation to build the first of four 300MWe GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at the utility’s Darlington site in Ontario, Canada.
(WNN) In making its decision, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) said it had concluded that Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is qualified to carry out the activities authorized under the license; that the company has adequate programs in place to ensure that the health and safety of workers, the public and the environment will be protected; and that it will make adequate provision for the maintenance of national security and to implement Canada’s international obligations.
The license is valid until March, 31, 2035, and includes site-specific license conditions as well as regulatory hold-points during the construction process where OPG is required to provide additional information to the CNSC before it can continue.
The decision by the Commission does not authorize the operation of the reactor. The license to operate the plant: would be subject to a future licensing hearing and decision, “should OPG come forward with a license application to do so.”
Ontario Power Generation applied for a license to prepare a site for the reactor in September 2006, and the CNSC began the environmental assessment process in May 2007. This process was completed in 2012, with a determination from the Government of Canada that the Darlington New Nuclear Project was not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.
In December 2021, OPG announced that it had selected the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor for deployment at the site. It applied for the construction license in October 2022.
Responding to the CNSC’s decision, Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, said: “This approval is a historic milestone for Ontario and Canada. The Darlington small modular reactor will be the first of its kind in the G7, helping to power our growing province with reliable, affordable, and emissions-free energy.”
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NANO Nuclear Takes Over Ultra Safe Project at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- The firm plans to build a research reactor that will also provide electricity and steam heat for the university.
- Site selected and preparatory work to begin for construction permit application
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) announced the signing of a strategic collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.) to construct the first research KRONOS micro modular reactor (MMR) on the university’s campus.
The agreement formally establishes U. of I. as a partner in the licensing, siting, public engagement, and research operation of the KRONOS MMR, while also identifying the university campus as the permanent site for the reactor as a research and demonstration installation. This milestone marks the beginning of site-specific development for NANO Nuclear’s advanced KRONOS MMR technology and represents and NANO Nuclear’s path to commercialization of the KRONOS MMR Energy System.
Previously, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp had been developing this project. When the firm fell into bankruptcy proceedings, Nano Nuclear bought the intellectual property for it.
“This is the milestone we’ve been working towards, transforming design into reality,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy.
“With a site now selected and a world-class university as our partner, we are positioned to be among the first companies to deliver advanced reactor systems within the United States. This isn’t just a research reactor, it’s a proving ground for the future of safe, portable, and resilient nuclear energy. Moreover, this agreement will serve as a foundation for our long-term reactor strategy. Every milestone from this point forward brings us closer to delivering the next generation of nuclear energy to communities, campuses, and industries across the world.”
Following initial arrangements, NANO Nuclear will begin the process of geological characterization, including subsurface investigations, to support preparation of a Construction Permit Application (CPA) for submission to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
This preparatory work is essential to understanding the environmental parameters of the site, including critical inputs to safety analysis, and to support NANO Nuclear’s Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) and Environmental Report (ER).
“The start of geotechnical investigations represents our first physical action toward constructing the KRONOS MMR,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear.
“This is a powerful signal to the industry, to investors, and to regulators: NANO Nuclear is building. We are not theorizing. We are much beyond conceptualizing. We are moving toward construction, and this is only the first step.”
Through this strategic collaboration, U. of I. and NANO Nuclear will work together throughout the regulatory licensing process, plant design implementation, public and stakeholder engagement, and workforce development. The collaboration builds on the university’s prior experience and engagement with nuclear regulators, while introducing an advanced and simplified reactor system to lead the next generation of clean energy deployment.
“The KRONOS MMR project can not only be a national first, it can be a first for academia, enabling students, researchers, regulators, and the public to learn directly from a real-world microreactor development effort,” said Illinois Grainger Engineering Professor Caleb Brooks, Principal Investigator for the University of Illinois.
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UK Government Invests £20 Million In ‘Starmaker One’ to Accelerate Commercialization of Nuclear Fusion
- UK Government Invests £20 Million In ‘Starmaker One’ To Accelerate Commercialization of Nuclear Fusion
(NucNet) The British government is allocating £20 million to kick start a British nuclear fusion investment fund called Starmaker One which is expected to result in £100m being invested the UK’s growing fusion energy industry.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said in a statement on April 3rd that the move represents a “world first” government partnership with a fusion private venture capital fund and which will keep Britain at the forefront of the global fusion race.
Starmaker One is a British private fusion investment fund that will help fusion businesses and startups in the sector grow and commercialize at scale.
The DESNZ said the fund has potential to raise between £100-to-£150 million overall, including the £20m from DESNZ, for investment into fusion-related technology.
East X Ventures will act as fund manager and the government will receive a share of any returns made by the partnership. East X Ventures is the venture capital arm of East X, a London-based investment firm which invests in early-stage, science-led companies with high-growth, world-scale potential,
The DESNZ said it is expected the upfront investment from the government will unlock further investment from the private sector as the fusion industry grows – helping cement the UK as a world leader in the technology.
Potential To Make Britain ‘Clean Energy Superpower’
Companies in the UK have often identified lack of access to capital as a barrier to scaling up and commercializing their businesses.
An injection of cash from government will give the private sector confidence to invest in fusion, developing its vast potential as an unlimited source of energy and ensuring the UK continues to compete in the global fusion race, the DESNZ said.
It said the funding boost will help small fusion companies provide training for their workforce in key areas such as physics, engineering and chemistry. It will also support companies to develop technologies and capitalize on the opportunities of fusion energy in markets such as magnetics, industrial AI, robotics, healthcare, transportation and energy storage.
Minister Says Government Is Backing Nuclear
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said the government is backing nuclear power.
The Starmaker One investment follows a government commitment for a record £410 milliom, announced in January, for UK fusion research and collaboration with other countries to develop clean, unlimited power and drive economic growth.
“Successful deployment of fusion energy would be globally transformative and allow the UK to export the technology to a global fusion market expected to be worth trillions of pounds in the future,” the DESNZ said.
In February, the government said it is set to ease the rules around where nuclear power plants can be built in a bid to revitalize the sector and put Britain back in the global race for nuclear energy.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which came to power following a July 2024 general election, has been supportive of nuclear energy, not just the fusion sector, but also large-scale fission reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs).
In October it said it was making available an additional £2.7 billion of taxpayer money as efforts continue to try to secure a critical final investment decision for the planned Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, eastern England.
Meanwhile, Great British Nuclear, the public body set up to drive the delivery of new nuclear energy projects in the UK, has entered the final stage of its SMR selection process and is on track to make final decisions in the Spring. GBN has been severely criticized by Rolls-Royce and other SMR firms for excessive red tape and bureaucratic delays.
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Fusion Industry Trade Group Calls for Increased Federal Funding of Fusion Energy
- FIA Urges Prioritization of Commercializing Fusion Energy in U.S. FY25 Budget
On March 26th, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) sent a letter to Dr. Kung, Acting Director of the Office of Science and Deputy Director for Science Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy, urging the prioritization of commercializing fusion energy in the United States in the FY25 budget.
There are four key programs within the Energy & Water Appropriations Bill that are critical to deploying commercial fusion within the next decade:
- Milestone-Based Fusion Energy Development Program;
- Alternative and Enabling Concepts (including INFUSE);
- FIRE (Fusion Innovation and Research Engine) Collaboratives; and
- Prioritize Building Infrastructure and Commercially Relevant Research.
For the last eight years, with broad bipartisan support, Congress has supported increase appropriations in fusion research, and authorized the Department of Energy’s Office of Science research at $1.05 billion in funding for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences.
By putting a down payment of $790 million in FY25 on these commercially-relevant programs, the U.S. can assert American leadership in not only the accelerating fusion industry, but in the global energy landscape.
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Ghana Selects China for First Full Size Nuclear Power Plant, NuScale for SMRs
Ghana has selected the United States and China as vendors for its first nuclear power plants, though no formal contracts have been signed.
The U.S-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group, in partnership with Japanese firms, will construct Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), while China National Nuclear Corporation will build a large reactor.
The decision was disclosed by Dr Stephen Yamoah, Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana, according to the Ghana News Agency.
He said large reactor will have a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, while the SMRs will comprise 12 modules, each generating 77 MWE, totaling 924 MWe.
Dr Yamoah said the large reactor would follow a build, operate, and transfer (BOT) financial model with local equity participation, and the SMRs would be financed through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). He did not indicate how much funding would come from the government.
Ghana has signed a framework agreement with the vendors, and experts are gathering environmental and oceanic data to determine the plant’s location.
Archibold Buah-Kwofi, Acting Director of the Nuclear Power Institute, underscored the need for stable and affordable electricity for national development, noting that Ghana’s energy mix relied heavily on fossil fuels and hydro, with renewables contributing just one per cent.
“We need to fast-track the adoption of nuclear power to secure our energy future,” he said, highlighting the importance of robust regulatory frameworks and skilled manpower.
Nuclear power is expected to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, mitigate climate change, and enhance energy security.
The government plans to integrate one gigawatt of nuclear power into the grid by 2034.
The plant will support industrialization, compensate for declining hydro sources, lower tariffs for industries, enable desalination, and create jobs.
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New Book ~ How Diablo Canyon Was Saved from the Wrecking Ball
Atomic Dreams – the new Nuclear Evangelists and the Fight for the Future of Clean Energy regarding advocates for Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) extended operations. by: Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow (Amazon)
About the author: Her writing has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, the Guardian, Slate, and the Nation, among other publications.
The inside story of how nuclear energy—long considered scary, controversial, and even apocalyptic—has become the hot topic of the climate debate, and perhaps a vital power source of the future
On June 21, 2016, Pacific Gas & Electric Company announced a plan to shutter California’s last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, in 2025. The plan was hailed by environmental groups and politicians around the country. Then, in 2022, the state’s Democratic establishment suddenly reversed the decision, and in 2024 the Biden-Harris administration awarded the plant $1.1 billion in credits to extend its life. What happened in between?
In Atomic Dreams, journalist and lifelong environmentalist Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow unearths the surprising answers—and the deep-seated conflicts behind them. She follows the fascinating and lively cast of characters who are immersed in the fight over Diablo Canyon and nuclear energy, among them a world-renowned climate scientist, a fashion model turned “nuclear influencer,” and two radically opposed groups of mothers, both fiercely advocating for the kind of planet they want their children to inherit. And she chronicles how nuclear power has morphed from the stuff of cinematic nightmares—associated with world-ending weapons and terrifying meltdowns—to a rare issue with strong bipartisan support.
Tuhus-Dubrow takes readers to nuclear plants and research facilities, to the halls of Congress and into the streets with activists as she explores the big questions wrapped up in the nuclear debate: questions about risk and responsibility, about nature and technology, about whether humans should be humble caretakers of the Earth or audacious innovators. She explores how these issues affect real people’s lives, and personally grapples with the viability of this controversial energy source. Can the power of the atom be freed from its historical baggage and reinvented? Could something that once threatened to doom us now hold the potential to save us?
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