💥The Big, Beautiful (Nuclear) Bill

Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” sound like a campaign slogan but it’s now the law of the land.

Signed on July 4, it’s a sweeping budget and tax overhaul that slashes clean energy subsidies, boosts fossil fuels, and unlocks billions for defense and AI infrastructure.

Buried in its hundreds of provisions are some of the most pro-nuclear policies we’ve seen in years, quietly handing the sector a massive policy win.

For the first time, nuclear projects can qualify for key federal tax credits as early as the construction permit stage. No more waiting around for full operating licenses; developers can now unlock Production Tax Credits (45U) and Investment Tax Credits (48E) much earlier in the game.

That’s a major funding unlock for early-stage projects and could dramatically reduce risk for developers.

The bill also protects existing plants. Originally, there were concerns that reactors using Russian or Chinese fuel would be excluded from receiving tax credits. Not anymore. Under the final version, older U.S. plants won’t be penalized while domestic fuel production ramps up.

That means utilities can keep the lights on, and the subsidies flowing, without scrambling for an immediate fuel switch.

Even more intriguing: the bill allows nuclear developers to structure themselves like oil and gas firms by using Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs).

This corporate structure makes it easier to raise money from public investors while avoiding double taxation, effectively giving nuclear access to Wall Street’s favorite financing tool.

On the capital side, the Department of Energy’s massive $250 billion loan program lives on, including a new $1 billion tranche carved out specifically for nuclear.

But there’s a twist: the overall loan pool has been trimmed by $12.6 billion, meaning nuclear developers will face stiffer competition for funding. Only the strongest projects will survive the beauty contest.

Of course, there’s a catch. Starting in 2034, clean energy tax credits will begin to phase out dropping to 75%, then 50%, and vanishing entirely by 2036.

And by 2026, any new project hoping to qualify will need to prove it’s not using fuel or parts from “foreign entities of concern,” including Russia and China. That means supply chains will need serious retooling, fast.

Still, taken as a whole, this bill is one of the most nuclear-friendly pieces of legislation in recent memory. 

It de-risks new builds, protects legacy reactors, opens up powerful new funding channels, and signals that the federal government sees nuclear as a critical piece of its AI-era industrial strategy.

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🤯20 French Nuclear Reactors Get Life Extension

One of the world’s biggest nuclear fleets just hit the snooze button on retirement.

France’s nuclear regulator just gave EDF the green light to keep its 1300 MW reactors running well beyond their original 40-year lifespans.

That’s 20 reactors, 26 GW, and roughly a quarter of France’s grid getting a new lease on life.

These reactors, originally built between 1985 and 1993, were designed with a 40-year assumption.

After a deep safety review, the ASN said: go ahead, provided the company makes key safety upgrades.

Each unit still needs individual approval, but the generic greenlight is a major milestone.

Reviews will continue through 2040, with EDF reporting annually on upgrade progress.

France had been staring down a nuclear cliff, with much of its fleet approaching 40+ years and a huge supply gap looming. But now? Massive reversal.

This extension buys time, preserves baseload capacity, and delays the need for expensive gas or renewables backfill.

For investors this is a major upward revision to global demand models. Those 20 reactors were widely assumed to be winding down. Now they’re ramping up for another 20 years adding 13 million lbs of Uranium demand annually.

France is doubling down on atomic reliability and sending a clear message to the EU: nuclear’s not just back. It never left.

⚛️For the Nu-clearly Curious

🌍EU to stockpile critical minerals because of war risk
Brussels says it will build up emergency stockpiles of critical minerals and cable repair kits as concerns mount over the EU’s vulnerability to attack. Member states should co-ordinate backup supplies of food, medicines and even nuclear fuel, the EU executive said. (Paywalled content)

♻️Dominion Energy Receives Regulatory Approval to Extend V.C. Summer Nuclear Station Operations for 20 Years
V.C. Summer was originally licensed to operate for 40 years from 1982 through 2022. With the renewed license, which was approved on June 30, 2025, the unit can operate through 2062. The Westinghouse 3-loop PWR outputs 966 MW to the grid.

📄Kalinin 1 licence extended
Russia’s Nuclear Regulator (Rostekhnadzor) has issued a license to nuclear utility Rosenergoatom to operate unit 1 of the Kalinin NPP until 28 June 2044. Kalinin Unit 1 is a VVER (PWR) that outputs 950 MW.

💰Dutch government offers to buy 70% of Borssele nuclear plant to reduce CO2 emissions
Borssele was on track to shut down in 2033, but now the Dutch gov’t is stepping in early. It just offered to buy the outstanding 70% stake to keep it running longer.

🌞 Google Bets on Fusion Power

Google just took a giant leap into the nuclear future, signing a deal to buy 200 MW of fusion energy from Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the MIT spinout aiming to commercialize the same power that fuels the sun.

The agreement is the largest corporate offtake for fusion energy to date and includes a fresh capital injection from Google to help CFS build its first commercial reactor, called ARC, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. That plant is slated to come online in the early 2030s, if all goes according to plan.

CFS’s tech is built around powerful high-temperature superconducting magnets arranged in a compact “tokamak” design.

The goal is to create a stable plasma environment that hits Q > 1, producing more energy than it consumes, a milestone no private fusion firm has yet achieved.

Google’s backing signals growing corporate interest in fusion as a viable path to firm, carbon-free electricity, especially in a world where hyperscale data centers and AI workloads are pushing grids to their limits.

If ARC succeeds, it could be the spark that ignites the commercial fusion era.

🐢Radioactive Tracking Devices for Turtles

Welcome back to Atomic Alternatives, where we explore the surprisingly weird and wonderful ways nuclear tech pops up outside the power plant.

This week: radiation meets wildlife conservation. 🌍

Turns out, scientists use tiny radioactive tags to track endangered animals like turtles, fish, and migratory birds.

Why go nuclear? Because these tags use low-dose radioactive isotopes (often tritium or other beta emitters) that steadily release radiation detectable by remote sensors.

🔋No batteries. No recharging. Just a quiet, continuous signal that can last for years.

It's like giving each animal a tiny glow-in-the-dark passport that pings researchers from the wild.

The radiation levels are minuscule, too low to harm the animal, but just right for long-term tracking through dense terrain or underwater.

🐢Some turtles tagged decades ago? Still trackable today.

So next time someone says nuclear tech only belongs in reactors, remind them it’s also helping save sea turtles.

Tiny radiation, big conservation impact.

😂Meme of The Week

Until next time, stay charged, stay curious, and may your energy be as limitless as a tokamak on Q > 1. ⚛️

– Fredrik
📬[email protected]
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