Podcast - Hot Topics in Nuclear Waste
Hogan Lovells' Mary Anne Sullivan on the floor of Hogan Lovells Global Energy Summit
Throughout 2025, several US states have taken steps to facilitate development of new nuclear reactors. Complementing several recent executive orders of the US administration in support of nuclear energy, including plans to...more
In just over one year since its passing, the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act has begun to unlock new opportunities for advanced nuclear energy projects, streamline...more
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) unveiled its Reactor Pilot Program – also known as the 10 Reactor Fleet Program – in reaction to one of the May 23, 2025 Executive Orders directed at nuclear energy. Section 5 of Executive...more
On July 23, 2025, the White House unveiled Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan. The Plan outlines a sweeping federal policy for boosting domestic AI development across three pillars: (1) Accelerate AI Innovation,...more
Under mounting pressure from advocates and stakeholders—most prominently the United States government—the World Bank recently rescinded its longstanding ban on financing nuclear power projects and announced its plan to...more
On June 18, 2025 the Department of Energy (“DOE”) issued a Request for Application (“RFA”) for a Reactor Pilot Program to construct and operate advanced nuclear reactors outside of the National Laboratories. This program is...more
As the U.S. faces surging electricity demand from AI data centers, infrastructure upgrades and decarbonization goals, nuclear energy is re-emerging as a viable clean power source. Central to this 2025 revival is the U.S....more
The Trump Administration recently issued four Executive Orders (EOs) focused on nuclear technologies that, collectively, aim to “unleash the domestic nuclear base,” “reestablish the United States as the global leader in...more
The four orders address nearly all aspects of the federal government’s civilian nuclear apparatus, though some question arise about implementation. Friday, President Trump signed four new Executive Orders (the...more
As we have previously written, the rise in data center development has significantly increased predicted electricity demand. As a reliable, carbon-free source of base load power with an average capacity factor of 93% in the...more
On Friday, May 23, 2025, President Trump signed four executive orders related to nuclear energy, three of which seek to expedite approval processes for permitting new nuclear reactors. The orders, which build upon...more
Directs the Department of Energy to submit a comprehensive fuel cycle report, expand enrichment and reprocessing under the Defense Production Act (DPA), and fund reactor restarts and construction through the Loan Programs...more
Directs the Department of Energy to reform national lab processes and establish a pilot program to approve at least three advanced reactor test sites outside the labs, with operations targeted by July 4, 2026. Requires...more
Directs the Departments of Defense and Energy to deploy advanced nuclear reactors for critical military and AI infrastructure, starting with operation at a domestic military base by September 30, 2028, and site deployment at...more
This is the seventh article in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Energy & Natural Resources thought leadership series titled “Going Nuclear: A Sustainable Solution to Rising Energy Demand.” The series will explore the changing...more
Welcome to Dorsey’s Energy Law: Month in Review. We provide this update to our clients to identify significant developments in the previous month. ...more
United States Department of Energy (“DOE”) Secretary, Chris Wright, announced on February 5th the DOE’s priorities under the Trump Administration....more
President Biden ran on an energy and environmental platform calling for a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In pursuit of this clean energy plan, he also called for a modernized energy...more
As the Trump Administration seeks to promote American energy independence, new funding opportunities for deploying tribal energy projects on tribal lands are now available. These opportunities are the first step by the...more