TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS & WHAT TO KNOW THIS WEEK
ECA SENDS LETTER TO NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT SUPPORTING KEEPING WIPP OPEN
On October 17, ECA sent a letter to the New Mexico Secretary of the Environment Department James Kenney emphasizing continued support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's (WIPP) operation after recent comments made by the Secretary were
reported in the Carlsbad Current Argus where he stated "Maybe shipments around the country need to be suspended, except from LANL, until they meet the conditions that they negotiated. I’m well down the path of concluding that the DOE and its
contractors need a wake-up call." As the only operating geological repository in the U.S., WIPP is the single most important site for all communities that are part of nation’s defense environmental cleanup mission. ECA has long recognized and supported WIPP’s mission. The publication of the letter was featured in a recent article from the Exchange Monitor, read the article here. Read the full letter on ECA's website here.
HANFORD SITE PRAISED FOR HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTOn Wednesday, October 15, local leaders celebrated the launch of the radioactive waste treatment plant (WTP), or vitrification plant, at Hanford near Richland. The first batch of stable vitrified glass is being produced in the Hanford site Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, called the Vit
Plant, and the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Facility, where waste is mixed with glass-forming materials and heated to 2,100° F inside one of two 300-ton melters before being poured into stainless-steel containers for cooling and long-term disposal elsewhere on the 580-sq-mile site, ENR reports. Leaders from across the country gathered for the historic launch with Governor Bob Ferguson stating, "It’s difficult to overstate how important this milestone is in the Hanford cleanup effort. Thousands of Washingtonians worked for decades to bring us to this moment. They deserve recognition for this achievement. A month ago, the U.S. Secretary of Energy said
behind closed doors that the federal government would back away from its obligation to bring this plant online. The united voices of workers, businesses and elected leaders made a difference. We made history today." Mayor Brent Gerry, ECA Chair and mayor of West Richland said "I congratulate DOE and the many people and companies that had a hand in this first of kind engineering accomplishment in our community that
will take liquid radioactive waste, turn it into glass.” David Reeploeg, vice president for TRIDEC federal programs stated, "The beginning of tank waste vitrification is a tremendous milestone for the Hanford Site and the Tri-Cities. For the first time ever, a campaign is now underway to significantly reduce the total amount of waste in Hanford’s tanks — a historic achievement decades in the making. Congratulations to the Department of Energy, Bechtel, WTCC, H2C, and the thousands of
highly-skilled workers, engineers, and leaders whose dedication made this possible. We’re also deeply grateful to our congressional champions — especially Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell, Congressman Dan Newhouse, and former Congressman Doc Hastings — for their leadership and unwavering support of Hanford cleanup.” Read more on the announcement here.
DAY 21 OF THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNThis week, the federal government enters its third week of shutdown, with the Senate still unable to reach the 60-vote threshold to pass a CR. In the wake of the shutdown, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which
falls under the Energy Department, exhausted its available funding on Saturday, according to the notice NNSA sent to lawmakers, POLITICO reports. As a result,
approximately 1,400 employees have been furloughed, the notice states, while about 375 now remain on the job for work that has been exempted from the shutdown. In all, about 80 percent of the agency’s personnel did not report to work on Monday. The NNSA’s Office of Secure Transportation — which oversees the safe transportation of U.S. nuclear materials, such as weapons, components, enriched uranium or plutonium — is funded through Oct. 27. Read the full article here.
NETHERLANDS AIMS TO EXTEND OPERATION OF BORSSELE PLANT
In a move to enable the continued operation of the Borssele nuclear power plant beyond 2033, the Dutch cabinet has submitted an amendment to the Nuclear Energy Act to the House of Representatives. The cabinet also announced plans to create a new state-owned company for the construction and operation of two new nuclear power plants, World Nuclear News reports. The 485 MWe (net) pressurised water reactor at Borssele - operated by EPZ - has been in operation since 1973 and accounts for about 3% of the country's total electricity generation. It is scheduled to
close in 2033, but the government has requested it remain in operation until 2054, if this can be done safely. The government has said it will consider acquiring a stake in the Borssele plant should a decision be made to extend its operation beyond 2033. The government intends to establish a new state-owned company - the Nuclear Energy Organisation of the Netherlands (NEO NL) - for this purpose, Minister of Environment and
Green Growth Sophie Hermans informed the House of Representatives. "This company will contract with the builder and will also operate the new plants. NEO NL will take the form of a 'policy participation', with the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth as the sole shareholder. At least EUR45 million (USD52 million) is available for its establishment," she said. "Our country cannot survive without nuclear energy," Hermans
said. "With the proposed establishment of NEO NL and the continued operation of Borssele, we are now taking a historic step towards a future with reliable nuclear energy. I hope that the next cabinet will continue on the path we have embarked on with the same energy and dedication." To read the full article, click here.
WINTER WEBINAR SERIES BEGINNING NOVEMBER 5!
ECA kicks off a forthcoming Winter Webinar Series with our first webinar titled
"Preparing for an EOI on Consolidated Storage: Emergency Preparedness" Advanced nuclear projects are moving toward construction, and local governments play a frontline role in ensuring that emergency preparedness and management systems keep pace with development. City and county officials oversee first responders, coordinate public safety communications, and maintain the trust of residents who live and work
near project sites. This webinar will highlight how mayors, emergency managers, and developers collaborate to build readiness from day one—through joint planning, drills, and transparent communication. Participants will gain insight into best practices for integrating project-specific safety requirements into local emergency operations and for sustaining preparedness over the full lifecycle of a nuclear
facility. Speakers will include: Chief Mike Cochran - Police Chief, City of Craig, Colorado Lea Perlas - Director, Virginia Office of Radiological Health Randall Ryti - Councilor, Los Alamos County, New
Mexico Register for the upcoming webinar here.
NEW NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHT: WASHINGTON
In ECA’s latest paper, “From the Atomic Age to New Nuclear,” ECA captures a snapshot of the nuclear projects underway in the United States by state including both federal and private
sites, and lays out the attributes that make energy communities optimal for this new era of American nuclear leadership. Keep reading what new nuclear projects are already underway in the great state of Kentucky in the excerpt below: Energy Northwest SMR Development- Amazon, X-energy and Energy Northwest are partnering to support the development of an advanced reactor near Energy Northwest’s Columbia
Generating Station near Richland, WA. This partnership includes commitments from Amazon to provide approximately $334 million in funding for the initial feasibility phase of Energy Northwest’s project, and to make a $500 million direct investment in X-energy. The advanced reactors in development are the Xe-100 model; high temperature gas-cooled reactors developed by X-energy. Each Xe-100 module can provide 80 megawatts of full-time electricity, with up to 12 modules able to be sited
together. Read more about the project here. HALEU Metallization Pilot Production Facility - Framatome and TerraPower are cooperating to design and develop a high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) metallization pilot plant at Framatome’s nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Richland, Washington. The plant will bolster Framatome's ability to convert uranium oxide (UO2) into HALEU metal, a crucial metal that is used to fabricate fuel for advanced reactors.
In addition, the plant will supply metal feedstock and help TerraPower build a domestic HALEU supply chain. Read more about the project here. "Project Dune" - The City of Richland, WA has signed a Purchase & Sale Agreement for 425 acres of former Hanford Site land with a company whose name has not yet been made public but is referred to as “Project Dune” an acronym standing for Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Upon completion, the $3
billion project will produce enriched uranium for advanced nuclear fuel and is projected to create approximately 1,000 jobs. Read more about the project
here. To learn more about New Nuclear projects in Kentucky and across the country, as well as how energy communities will be instrumental to their success, click here to read From the Atomic Age to New Nuclear.
ECA NEW NUCLEAR FORUM TO BE HOSTED IN AUGUSTA, GA FROM APRIL 21-23, 2026
Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is pleased to host the fifth annual ECA Forum in Augusta, GA from April 21 - April 23, 2026. The meeting is part of ECA’s ongoing New Nuclear Initiative to define the role of local governments in supporting the development of the new nuclear technologies. April 21 | Registration Opens & Nuclear 101 April 22 | Full Day General Session April 23 | Half-Day General Session The ECA Forum is the only meeting designed to bring together DOE, federal, state, local and tribal governments and policymakers with developers, utilities, regulators, industry, and academia to identify opportunities, challenges and to build the partnerships necessary to support nuclear development. Stay tuned for further details on registration, agenda, and
more! Click here to learn more about the upcoming ECA New Nuclear Forum!
Gone Fission Podcast - TVA SMR at Clinch River September 22,
2025 | S5 E5 The 2025 Nuclear Opportunities Workshop sponsored by the East Tennessee Economic Council in Knoxville continues to yield newsworthy stories for the Gone Fission podcast. This week, host Michael Butler talks with Tennessee Valley Authority Vice President Greg Borschieg about TVA's plans to build a small modular reactor on the Clinch River site in Oak Ridge. In
May, TVA became the first American utility to apply for a construction permit to build an SMR. Learn more about this groundbreaking project in this week's episode of the Gone Fission podcast. https://gonefissionpodcast.com/ EFCOG Exchange Podcast September 17, 2025 | S1 E1 In this debut episode, EFCOG Chair and Honeywell Federal Solutions VP/GM David “DJ” Johnson sits down with Mike Nartker, VP of Communications at Longenecker & Associates, to explore EFCOG’s history, mission, and the impactful work happening across the DOE complex. New to EFCOG? This episode offers an engaging introduction to the
organization and its current priorities. Already familiar? You’ll hear fresh insights from DJ and Mike on opportunities to strengthen collaboration with DOE—highlighting how digital tools and AI can help advance the Department’s evolving mission. Stay tuned for future episodes of the EFCOG Exchange Podcast, where we’ll continue spotlighting innovation, collaboration, and success across the DOE enterprise. https://efcog.buzzsprout.com/2531686
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