ECA Update 10/23; DOE PLUTONIUM ANNOUNCEMENT, ECA WINTER WEBINAR SERIES, and more

Published: Thu, 10/23/25

Updated: Thu, 10/23/25

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS & WHAT TO KNOW THIS WEEK

Congress remains at an impasse over passage of a continuing resolution (CR).
ECA announces Winter Webinar Series beginning November 5 - register here.
Department of Energy to offer nuclear energy companies access to weapons-grade plutonium - read more below.
ECA New Nuclear Forum to be hosted in Augusta, GA from April 21-23, 2026.
ECA's latest report "From the Atomic Age to New Nuclear" highlights new nuclear projects across the country - see more below.
Visit ECA on LinkedIn for regular updates.

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:

Moderator: Laura Hermann - Deputy Executive Director, Energy Communities Alliance

Dr. Erica Bickford - Director for the Office of Storage & Transportation, DOE-NE (Invited)

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!

US TO OFFER NUCLEAR ENERGY COMPANIES ACCESS TO WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM

Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported that US Department of Energy has invited nuclear energy companies to apply for access to up to 19 megatons of weapons-grade plutonium from Cold War-era warheads. According to the report, at least two companies, Oklo, backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and France’s Newcleo, are expected to apply for the material, which can be converted into fuel for advanced reactors.
The move is the latest in the Administration’s efforts to boost local energy production, especially as electricity demand surges on the back of artificial intelligence. Trump has expressed support for the nuclear industry in his bid to ramp up U.S. energy production.

FT identified in the article that the initiative comes after the 2024 ban on US imports of Russian uranium. The US currently produces less than one ton of uranium annually, highlighting its reliance on foreign sources. Previous attempts to convert plutonium for civilian use were abandoned in 2018 due to escalating costs.

Reuters reports that the invitation indicate applications are due by November 21, and selections would begin by the last day of the year.

DAY 23 OF THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

This 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.

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.

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!

WHAT YOU'VE MISSED:

Two new nuclear reactors considered in Kansas

Two companies have recently revealed plans to potentially install nuclear reactors in Kansas. One plan comes from a company that proposes putting small reactors 1 mile underground to directly power facilities such as data centers. The other comes from a company envisioning a utility-scale plant with a battery design that makes it capable of storing power.

Read the full report

Holtec announces new fuel arrival ahead of Palisades restart

Palisades nuclear power plant has received its first fuel shipment, a key step ahead of its highly anticipated restart by the end of the year.

Read the full story

Commonwealth Fusion Systems partners with Google DeepMind
Google DeepMind—Google’s artificial intelligence development subsidiary—recently announced a new partnership with fusion start-up Commonwealth Fusion Systems. The goal of this collaboration is to leverage AI to both advance plasma simulation and discover novel control strategies, ultimately accelerating CFS’s timeline to deliver commercial fusion to the grid.

Read the full story