🤑India’s $62 Billion Nuclear Push

India’s largest power producer, NTPC, is officially on the hunt for global partners to help build a massive 15 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity.

The company just issued a tender seeking collaborators with Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) technology and a commitment to lifetime fuel supply—a notable requirement as concerns over long-term uranium availability grow globally.

This marks the first major move since India began opening up its historically closed nuclear sector.

The country is now amending its strict nuclear liability laws—previously a deal-breaker for foreign firms like GE and Westinghouse—to attract global investment.

And NTPC isn’t thinking small: it plans to build 30 GW of nuclear capacity over the next two decades at a cost of $62 billion, as part of India’s push to reach 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047.

From coal king to clean energy powerhouse? India’s making a bold play—and NTPC just invited the world to join the ride.

⚛️Cool Links

📜Nuclear is now “clean energy” in Colorado after Gov. Polis signs bill
Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Monday to open the door to a new nuclear energy era in Colorado, disregarding environmental groups asking for a veto. The legislation redefines nuclear as a “clean energy resource” since it doesn’t release large amounts of climate-warming emissions.

⚠️Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant restart timetable suggested, Ukraine rejects plan
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been under Russian military control since March 2022 and its director has said he expects Russian licenses for operation of all units to be obtained by the end of 2027. Ukraine's Energoatom says any talk of restarting the units is a violation of nuclear and radiation safety standards.

💼BlackRock CEO Larry Fink—who runs the world’s largest asset manager, has expressed support for nuclear power. Fink makes the case for nuclear power, an idea gaining steam as demand for electricity—fueled by AI—is surging. He notes China is aggressively building nuclear plants because 'they see decarbonization as a way to own the future of industry'.

🛢️Kazakhstan is creating a strategic uranium reserve to fuel its future nuclear power plants—storing the material in raw form.
As the world’s top uranium producer (40% of global output), it’s locking in supply to match its growing nuclear ambitions. This move follows President Tokayev’s call to build three new nuclear power plants across the country.

🏃Nuclear Nations Keep Their Plants Running

When it comes to aging nuclear power plants, the trend is clear: if you’ve got reactors, you want to keep them running—for as long as safely possible.

In the U.S. the Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina just got the green light to operate for up to 80 years, becoming the 12th American plant approved to do so.

Originally built in the 1970s, its three pressurized water reactors will now power on into the 2050s, delivering over 2,500 megawatts of clean energy.

Meanwhile in Russia the BN-600 fast neutron, sodium-cooled reactor at the Beloyarsk plant just scored a 15-year extension—taking it to 60 years of operation by 2040.

But beyond power output, the BN-600 is also a testbed for advanced fast reactor technology and a closed fuel cycle using MOX fuel.

MOX—short for mixed oxide—blends plutonium with depleted uranium. Instead of treating spent nuclear fuel as waste, MOX recycles it into new fuel, squeezing out more energy and reducing long-term waste.

The message from nuclear nations? These reactors still have plenty of life left. And when you’ve got clean, reliable energy on tap—you don’t shut it down.

😎’President Trump has Committed to Getting this Nuclear Renaissance Going’

U.S. Energy Secretary Wright is going full reactor mode in the media—pro-nuclear and proud. Check it out:

📦Nuclear Energy, Now in a Box

Westinghouse’s eVinci™ microreactor just hit a big milestone: the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved its Principal Design Criteria—basically the blueprint that outlines how every part of the reactor should function to meet safety standards.

This might sound technical (because it is), but the key takeaway is simple: this approval streamlines and simplifies the licensing process for customers, paving the way for faster deployment of microreactors across the U.S.

The eVinci reactor is compact, resilient, and built to be delivered like a battery in a box. It can power remote communities, mining sites, data centers—or even future moon bases—with up to 5 MW of clean electricity for 8+ years without refueling.

The kicker? When it's done, the entire reactor—including spent fuel—is packed up and removed. No on-site waste, no fuss.

👀 Want to see what that looks like in action? Westinghouse has a short infomercial that breaks it all down:

🛡️Depleted Uranium = Heavy-Duty Shielding

Welcome back to Atomic Alternatives—where we dig into the unexpected places nuclear tech shows up in our world.

This week’s feature: depleted uranium shielding—an under-the-radar way we stay safe from radiation.

💡 Let’s clear something up:

Depleted uranium is not nuclear waste. It’s not spent fuel from a reactor. Instead, it’s uranium that’s had most of the U-235 isotope removed during enrichment. Still radioactive, but way less so—and way more useful.

⚙️ What makes it great for shielding

The key is density. Depleted uranium is about 70% denser than lead, making it one of the best materials around for stopping high-energy radiation like gamma rays and X-rays.

Radiation loses energy as it passes through matter, and the denser that matter is, the better it works as a barrier. That’s why DU is perfect when you need maximum protection in minimal space.

⚙️ Where it’s used

• ☢️ Transport casks for radioactive materials

• 🧪 Medical and industrial shielding where space is tight

• 🚀 Spacecraft protection against cosmic rays

Because depleted uranium is so heavy, it offers great protection in small packages—less material, more shielding. Just handle with care: it’s still chemically toxic, like lead.

So depleted uranium isn’t just nuclear “leftovers”—it’s out here quietly guarding the world’s radioactive cargo so the rest of us don’t glow in the dark. 😎

😂Meme of The Week

Stay charged, stay critical (like a reactor), and keep glowing!😎

Fredrik
[email protected]