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Topic: Nuclear Energy Blog Brand: Energy World Region: Americas, and Europe Tags: Department of Energy (DOE), European Union (EU), Moon, NASA, North America, Nuclear Fuel, Nuclear Reactors, Nuclear Waste, Slovakia, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and United States Nuclear Energy Now – DOE Launches Spent Fuel Research Center January 16, 2026 By: Emily Day
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Nuclear Energy Now tracks the latest nuclear energy developments across technology, diplomacy, industry trends, and geopolitics.
The United States Seeks to Put a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Nuclear energy may power the next phase of US space exploration. The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, Ensuring American Space Superiority, by committing both agencies to work together on the development of a “fission surface power system” for the Moon—and eventually Mars. Trump’s executive order specifically called for the deployment of nuclear reactors on the moon by 2030 and follows August 2025 calls from Treasury Secretary— and then–acting NASA Administrator—Sean Duffy to streamline regulatory and construction pathways to accelerate deployment within the decade. NASA said the effort is essential to sustaining US leadership in space exploration and enabling long-duration lunar missions, a growing priority as China and Russia plan to build their own lunar reactor by 2035 and China seeks to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
Slovakia Bets on a Dual Nuclear Path
A US-backed feasibility study under Project Phoenix has concluded that Slovakia is well-positioned to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs). The study, which was conducted by Sargent & Lundy in cooperation with Slovakia’s Ministry of Economy and nuclear operator Slovenské elektrárne, assessed four sites (Bohunice, Mochovce, Vojany, and US Steel Košice) and found all four met the criteria for SMR deployment using the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) guidance on safety, environmental, geological, and external-risk factors. While Slovenské elektrárne has indicated that SMRs could be operational as soon as 2035, the next steps would include the creation of a regulatory framework, site investigations, and public consultation. Meanwhile, Slovakia is also planning for a new large nuclear reactor near the Bohunice nuclear power plant, and recently chose Rothschild & Co as the financial advisor for the project. The new unit will be state-owned and over 1,000 megawatts (MW), with Rothschild & Co helping to defend the financial structure to the European Union state aid processes.
DOE Launches Spent Fuel Research Center
The Department of Energy has established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to serve as its hub for research on the long-term storage, transportation, and management of used nuclear fuel. The center will operate through a hub-and-spoke model led by INL, with senior leadership also based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, allowing DOE to better collaborate with stakeholders such as utilities, vendors, regulators, contractors, and academic and research institutions. While CUFR’s work will deal with safe storage and transportation—important to maintaining public confidence in nuclear energy—it will not research or address disposal, reprocessing, or recycling. This ignores an unresolved political and policy challenge, as the United States still lacks a permanent disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel. This issue continues to feature prominently in opposition arguments to new nuclear projects and will remain a bottleneck as reactor lifetimes extend and spent-fuel inventories grow.
About the Author: Emily Day
Emily Day is an experienced researcher, writer, and editor with expertise in geopolitics, nuclear energy, and global security. She is an associate editor of Energy World and Techland at The National Interest and a senior research associate at Longview Global Advisors, where she provides insights on global political and economic trends with a specialization in utilities, risk, sustainability, and technology. She was previously a Della Ratta Energy and Global Security Fellow at the Partnership for Global Security.
Image: Parilov/shutterstock
The post Nuclear Energy Now – DOE Launches Spent Fuel Research Center appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org