The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has operated for months without a quorum, hampering its ability to fully carry out its oversight functions, according to a recent GAO report. With only two members remaining out of the five required, the board's authority is already limited, and this could worsen when acting chair Thomas Summers' term ends in October. Without a quorum, the board cannot take official actions, raising concerns about its capacity to advise on nuclear safety at key sites.

Nuclear regulators from Belgium, Italy and Romania have initiated a pre-licensing assessment of the EAGLES-300 lead-cooled small modular reactor, with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency. This pre-licensing process is a collaborative, early-stage effort that aims to identify regulatory challenges and align safety standards before a formal licensing application is filed. The initiative is notable as the first instance of national regulators working together this early on an advanced SMR design, with the goal of streamlining requirements and accelerating future deployment.

Idaho National Laboratory and Aalo Atomics are building Aalo-X, an experimental 10-megawatt sodium-cooled nuclear reactor. Part of the federal Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, the extra modular nuclear reactor (XMR) pilot aims to demonstrate that reactors can be built on an assembly line. The ultimate goal is to power data centers.

The Ontario government is investing $18 million to expand isotope production at McMaster University's nuclear reactor in Hamilton. The funding will allow the reactor to operate around the clock, potentially increasing annual treatments from 70,000 to 84,000.

North Carolina, like much of the US, is facing increasing demand for electricity from data centers. Duke Energy has projected a need for nearly 6 gigawatts of additional capacity, prompting regulators to approve a plan for new gas plants and some clean energy investments. The North Carolina Utilities Commission has opened a proceeding to address issues related to data center demand, including the accuracy of projections, cost-sharing for grid upgrades and the use of carbon-free energy.

India is developing a legal framework aimed at increasing private sector participation in the nuclear industry, according to Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty. This new framework would support strategic policy interventions and public-private collaborations as India pursues its ambitious nuclear expansion goals.

Global Laser Enrichment has successfully demonstrated the commercial viability of the SILEX laser enrichment process through a large-scale testing campaign at its Test Loop facility in Wilmington, N.C.. Beginning in May, the program has collected extensive performance data, confirming the process's readiness for commercial deployment. The demonstration will continue throughout 2025, producing hundreds of kilograms of low-enriched uranium.