Podcast - Hot Topics in Nuclear Waste
Hogan Lovells' Mary Anne Sullivan on the floor of Hogan Lovells Global Energy Summit
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
The Texas Legislature recently passed three key bills: House Bill 14 (H.B. 14); Senate Bill 1061 (S.B. 1061); and Senate Bill 1535 (S.B. 1535), which introduce a comprehensive legal framework to promote nuclear energy in...more
As data center power demands reach hundreds of megawatts or even gigawatts, particularly driven by AI applications, traditional power delivery models are facing significant constraints. Behind-the-meter (BTM) or...more
Politicians’ and tech giants’ embrace of nuclear energy to power AI heightens the urgency to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats....more
Increasing demand for reliable, baseload power and concerns related to climate change are motivating a transition toward new energy sources and alternatives to fossil fuels. Nuclear energy currently provides approximately 20%...more
On May 12, 2025, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed the South Carolina Energy Security Act (Act 41) into law. The significant, wide-ranging energy legislation is the result of bipartisan efforts to holistically address...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
This is the ninth 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 landscape...more
On April 10, 2025, FERC addressed arguments on rehearing that clarified, but did not modify the outcome of, a November 1, 2024, order (“Rejection Order”) rejecting PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (“PJM”) proposal to increase...more
After considering similar legislation in two prior sessions, the Colorado General Assembly passed, and Gov. Jared Polis signed into law, House Bill 25-1040 which explicitly adds nuclear energy to the state’s statutory...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
The US has a massive disparity between domestic uranium production and demand, highlighting a critical dependency on foreign sources, particularly as nuclear energy development is expected to increase. Recent federal public...more
We have the pleasure of presenting insights from Belton Zeigler, co-leader of the Womble energy sector, and Steve Snyder, an expert in federal regulatory issues involving power....more
The U.S. Supreme Court on March 5, 2025, heard oral argument in two cases related to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) authority to license temporary spent fuel storage facilities that are not co-located with a...more
This is the fifth 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 landscape...more
The NRC’s Office of Investigations (OI) recently published its Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024, summarizing its activities from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. According to the annual report, OI opened 82 new...more
The United States and Thailand signed an agreement on January 14, 2025, which outlines peaceful nuclear cooperation between the two countries. The agreement is authorized by Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as...more
The NRC recently issued Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2025-02, which asks reactor licensees to voluntarily provide information about their plans for power-uprate licensing submittals. The NRC will use this information to set...more
Small modular reactors (SMRs) can be collocated with high demand customers such as data centers and large manufacturing and chemical facilities to provide electric energy and capacity to them directly. Behind-the-meter...more
Complaint filed United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas (Case No. 6:24-cv-00507) - KEY TAKEAWAYS - The States of Texas and Utah, together with private developer Last Energy, have sued to exempt certain...more
In our 11th year of writing and publishing The Energy Regulation and Markets Review, the most pressing global concerns are inflation, supply chain concerns, the Ukraine war and continuing effects from the covid-19 pandemic....more
The NRC released a draft white paper discussing options to streamline its regulatory licensing process for microreactors. Specifically, the NRC Staff is “considering strategies to streamline the license review process by...more
In a recently issued NRC adjudicatory decision, the Commission reaffirmed its regulatory interpretation allowing power reactor licensees applying for subsequent license renewal (SLR), and the NRC Staff reviewing these...more
Under the assumption that the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency (PHE) will continue into 2021, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Staff hosted a public meeting via teleconference on October 15 to discuss...more