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United States DOE Center for Used Fuel Research The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy has announced the establishment of the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). DOE has officially designated INL as its leading institution for critical research, development, and demonstration efforts concerning used nuclear fuel (UNF) management. This underscores DOE’s renewed commitment to solving one of the nation’s most pressing energy and environmental challenges and delivers on a key element of the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement establishing INL as the DOE lead used nuclear fuel research laboratory. CUFR is specifically designed to be a national


and international hub for applied research on the management of UNF that supports and maintains compliance, and advances public confidence in the safe storage and transportation of both commercial and DOE-managed UNF. This initiative directly addresses DOE’s statutory responsibility for the disposition of UNF and would not have been possible without DOE and the State of Idaho agreeing to a targeted waiver of the 1995 Settlement Agreement, which happened in April 2025. INL will coordinate a broad collaboration


through a “hub-and-spoke” model. This will encompass other DOE national laboratories, leading universities, and key industry partners. CUFR will also extend its support to and collaborate with international partners. It will develop innovative technologies and solutions, conduct research that ensures regulatory compliance, and build public trust in the safe storage and transportation of commercial and DOE-managed used nuclear fuel. CUFR will focus on used nuclear fuel performance, canister ageing, and fostering innovation through collaboration.


Russian Federation MBIR reactor 80% complete Construction work is more than 80% complete at Russia’s multi-purpose fast neutron research reactor (MBIR – Mnogotselevoi Bistrii Issledovatelskii Reaktor) being built at the Scientific Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR – Nauchno Issledovatelskii Institut Atomnikh Reaktorov) in Dimitrovgrad. The 150 MWt multi-purpose sodium-


cooled fast neutron MBIR reactor will be the world’s largest facility of its kind. Its technical characteristics will make it possible to solve a wide range of research problems to support the development new competitive and safe NPPs, including fast reactors based on closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Research time needed at the new reactor will be several times less in comparison with the currently operating installations. MBIR will replace the widely used BOR-60


experimental fast reactor that has been in operation at NIIAR since 1969. MBIR will be used for materials testing for Generation IV fast neutron reactors. It will be capable of testing


lead, lead-bismuth and gas coolants and will enable reactor and post-reactor experiments, perfecting technologies for the production of isotopes and modified materials. The facility is planned to be put into operation in 2028. The installation of key primary circuit equipment has already begun. The main building of the MBIR will house


advanced research areas, irradiation channels, laboratories and modern testing equipment. The complex will become a testing ground for advanced technologies, including small nuclear power plants, space power plants and new reactor materials. Rosatom has promoted development


of cooperation based on the MBIR reactor including with the Atom-CIS Commission. Both scientific organisations of the CIS countries and Rosatom research institutes took part in developing the programme. Key areas of research will include testing new materials for new generation reactor plants, developing promising types of nuclear fuel and fuel cycle closure technologies, developing isotopes for medicine and industry, and fundamental and applied research using neutron beams.


Canada Prodigy advances transportable NPP Canada’s Prodigy Clean Energy has completed a two-year research and development programme to advance its Transportable Nuclear Power Plant (TNPP) technology supported by CAD2.75m ($2m) from the government’s Enabling Small Modular Reactors (ESMR) programme. Prodigy’s TNPP design for remote deployment


was advanced using a surrogate TRISO-fuelled microreactor. Work with Kinectrics, Lloyd’s Register, Serco, C-Job Naval Architects and Risktec performed prototypical testing, provided support to Prodigy’s TNPP lifecycle analysis. In the R&D programme, Prodigy used the


Westinghouse eVinci microreactor (specifically its heat-pipe, TRISO-fuelled architecture) as the surrogate design for the TNPP. Although the facility is designed to be reactor agnostic, the eVinci served as the primary technical baseline because its characteristics (solid-state core, no coolant pumps, and factory-sealed nature) were suited for transportable marine deployment. Kinectrics played a dual role as a high-level


technical advisor and a laboratory testing partner, bridging the gap between nuclear engineering and marine manufacturing. Kinectrics conducted physical and simulated tests to demonstrate how the reactor would behave within the TNPP hull. This included testing the structural integrity and the interaction between the reactor and the transportable facility. An assessment of the facility’s ability to withstand external shocks such as seismic events, extreme weather, or marine accidents was undertaken to ensure the TRISO fuel remained contained even in a worst-case scenario. Drawing on their experience with the Canadian


Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Kinectrics helped develop the licensing roadmap for the


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round up


RADWASTE CANADA’S NUCLEAR WASTE Management Organisation (NWMO) has initiated the regulatory process to license its proposed deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel and has submitted an initial project description to the Canadian government. NWMO is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for managing Canada’s nuclear waste. This marks the beginning of an in-depth regulatory process as the project moves from planning to independent review.


D&D


EDF SUBSIDIARY CYCLIFE Sweden AB has shipped four steam generators from the Unterweser NPP in Germany, which is undergoing decommissioning to its facility in Nyköping, Sweden, for recycling. Cyclife specialises in NPP decommissioning and waste management. Removal of the four steam generators from the Unterweser plant began in mid-May 2025 and lasted four weeks.


ADVANCED REACTORS US-BASED START-UP NANO Nuclear has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with South Korean industrial enterprise DS Dansuk Co, a publicly listed company on the Seoul Stock Exchange, to cooperate on the development, localisation, and deployment of Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) systems in South Korea. This establishes a framework for collaboration to advance NANO’s microreactor designs, including the KRONOS MMR Energy System, a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR).


SMRS


THE EMIRATES NUCLEAR Energy Company (ENEC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) and Canada’s Global Institute for Energy, Minerals and Society (GIEMS) on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi to advance cooperation on SMRs


ROLLS ROYCE SMR has signed a contract with the UK subsidiary of Sweden’s Skanska to deliver an aseismic bearing pedestal demonstrator for its small modular reactor currently under development. These structural isolation devices are a key part of the factory-built SMR’s design and play a critical role in decoupling buildings and infrastructure from ground motion during seismic events.


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