⚛️DOE Fast-Tracks 11 New Reactors

If you blinked this week, you might’ve missed the launch of one of the most aggressive federal pushes for new nuclear reactors in US history.

The Department of Energy just announced 11 projects selected for the Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, a new initiative designed to get advanced reactors built, operating, and reaching criticality by July 4, 2026.

DOE’s goal is simple: get at least three advanced reactors to achieve criticality in just under 11 months.

That’s not a typo. These companies can bypass the usual NRC slog and go through the DOE instead, using its statutory authority under the Atomic Energy Act to approve and support reactor construction directly.

It’s the regulatory cheat code reactor startups have been dreaming of.

To do that, the DOE will partner with 11 early movers: Oklo, Last Energy, Radiant, Deep Fission, Terrestrial Energy, Valar Atomics, Natura Resources, Aalo Atomics, Antares Nuclear, Atomic Alchemy, and Deep Fission.

Each company is on the hook for its own funding, permitting, construction, and decommissioning.

The DOE’s role is to provide regulatory approval, technical support, and access to the department’s full institutional firepower to clear red tape.

These won’t be commercial plants, at least not yet. Technically, they’re “test reactors”.

According to the DOE, this pilot will unlock private capital, streamline commercialization, and accelerate NRC licensing for designs that succeed.

Think of it as a stepping stone, not a shortcut.

And let’s be honest: the July 4, 2026 deadline isn’t just a calendar date. It’s a political statement. If even one reactor hits that milestone, the U.S. will have built more new nuclear in under a year than it did in the last two decades.

Expect to see more private capital flowing into SMRs, more defense and data center deals, and possibly a flood of follow-on projects tied to the DOE’s new fuel pilot line as well.

The nuclear renaissance just got a clock.

🇨🇭Switzerland To Lift Ban on Nuclear (Again)

In the latest twist of Europe’s energy soap opera, The Swiss Federal Council has just released draft legislation to lift the 2018 ban on new nuclear power plants, potentially reversing the policy that committed the country to a slow nuclear phaseout.

The reason? Blackouts. Or rather, fear of them.

After Germany slammed the door on nuclear in 2023 and ramped up coal imports, Swiss citizens watched their grid dependency spike.

That didn’t sit well in a country famous for reliability, chocolate, and winter heaters that actually work.

So in March 2024, voters backed a federal initiative called “Stop the Blackout,” which forces the government to guarantee 24/7 electricity using climate-friendly power, and a category of that (awkwardly for anti-nuclear activists) includes nuclear.

The original “Stop the Blackout” initiative wants to lock the right to build new nuclear into the constitution. Symbolic win, but slower, and a nightmare for Switzerland’s famously decentralized system.

Meanwhile, the government’s preferred route is to repeal the 2018 nuclear ban by simply tweaking their Nuclear Energy Act. That opens the door for companies to apply for licenses to build new reactors, with oversight from Parliament and a potential public vote.

The government wants to keep things moving fast, and they’ve asked voters to reject the constitutional route in favor of this legislative counterproposal.

Either way it’s a win for nuclear.

Switzerland currently has four nuclear reactors (providing one-third of its electricity), all with indefinite licenses, they can run as long as they remain safe.

But with demand set to explode past 90 TWh by 2050, officials now say the grid needs “technology-neutral planning.” Translation: renewables don’t scale fast enough, nuclear is back on the table.

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🎥 Why Are Cooling Towers Shaped Like That?

Nope, they’re not just oversized nuclear props. Those curves actually serve a purpose, and it’s all about airflow, not aesthetics.

In this slick explainer, Practical Engineering dives into the physics of natural draft cooling towers, and why sometimes, curves beat corners when you need to cool tens of thousands of gallons of water fast.

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🧊 SMRs in the Arctic

Plans are moving ahead for what could become the first SMR in the Arctic. Blykalla and Norsk Kjernekraft have submitted a planning initiative to build a lead-cooled SEALER reactor in Svalbard.

If approved, the project would replace the diesel generators that have been keeping the lights on since Svalbard’s coal plant shut down in 2023.

In the process, it could redefine energy security for one of the most remote communities on Earth.

Blykalla’s design, SEALER-One, uses molten lead to cool the core and produces 55 MWe and is planned to reach criticality by 2029.

It’s like submarine-style fission, updated with modern passive safety systems. It’s compact, reliable, and purpose-built for off-grid or hard-to-reach regions.

The newly submitted planning initiative kicks off an environmental impact assessment, covering everything from local biodiversity and waste handling to economic ripple effects and energy resilience.

I rate this project: 🧊🧊🧊🧊 (4 out of 5 Cold Atoms):

A sleeper story that combines hard tech, real climate value, and geopolitical upside. Still early, but if SEALER powers up Svalbard, every isolated grid in the Nordics and beyond will start rethinking their energy playbook.

💡Lamps Fueled by Nuclear Magic

Welcome back to Atomic Alternatives, where we highlight the bizarre, brilliant, and barely believable ways nuclear tech sneaks into everyday life.

This week’s episode: Lamps that literally glow nuclear.

💡 High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, the kind once used in stadiums, film sets, and older car headlights, sometimes relied on a radioactive boost to turn on reliably. Seriously.

Here’s how it works:

• Krypton‑85, a beta-emitting noble gas, was sealed inside arc tubes. The beta particles ionized the gas mixture, making it easier to strike the initial arc that powers the lamp. In other words, it helped the light come on faster and more reliably, especially in the cold.

• Thorium was often added to the lamp electrodes. It lowered the work function, meaning less voltage was needed to start the arc. Bonus: thorium also helped extend electrode life under high-stress conditions.

• Tritium sometimes appeared in niche lighting setups where reliability was mission-critical and maintenance was nearly impossible, think remote beacons, aerospace systems, or sealed enclosures.

All of this helped lamps fire up faster and run more efficiently, especially in cold environments or demanding setups.

Today, you’re unlikely to find these in your living room, but they’re a fascinating reminder that nuclear engineering isn’t just for power plants, it’s hiding in the shadows (and lighting them up).

As always, thanks for reading the only newsletter that makes fission fun.

Until next time, stay curious, stay critical (like a reactor), and keep glowing 😎

– Fredrik
📬 [email protected]
🔗 nuclearupdate.com

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