Framatome's accident tolerant fuel completed its second 24-month run at Unit 2 of Constellation's Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland and has been reloaded for a third operating cycle. After this, the assembly will be sent to an Energy Department lab for post-irradiation analysis. The assembly features 176 chromium-coated rods and chromia-enhanced pellets, materials engineered to reduce corrosion, limit hydrogen generation at high temperatures and improve reactor performance.

Attention is turning to lithium isotope enrichment as advanced nuclear technologies drive demand for lithium-6 and lithium-7, both essential to fusion fuel cycles, molten salt reactor coolants and pH control in pressurized water reactors. Large-scale production of these isotopes remains concentrated in Russia and China, leaving the US and its allies exposed to supply chain vulnerabilities. US policymakers and private companies are taking steps to rebuild enrichment capabilities, betting on approaches such as atomic vapor laser isotope separation and electrochemical migration.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Unit 3 of Finland's Olkiluoto nuclear power plant has become a cornerstone of the country's energy strategy, adding 1.6 gigawatts to the grid, lifting nuclear's share of electricity generation from 28% to 39% and helping to bring Russian energy imports near zero. Helsinki is now weighing permitting reforms to support future nuclear projects and preparing to launch the world's first deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. Still, the country's nuclear ambitions face challenges, including high construction costs, continued reliance on Russian uranium and competition from faster-to-deploy renewables.

Constellation Energy is ramping up its demand response initiatives to handle surging electricity demand, setting a goal to add 1 GW of demand response capacity. The company is leveraging AI to encourage more customers to participate, particularly by reducing energy consumption or utilizing backup generation during peak hours. Executives report a strong pipeline of demand response products and are actively finalizing deals ahead of upcoming capacity auctions, aiming to develop innovative program structures that optimize flexibility for both data centers and other large customers.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Democratic senators are urging the White House to address rising electricity bills they attribute to the AI-driven data center boom. In a letter to the White House and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the senators ask for plans to mitigate the impact of data centers built by Meta, OpenAI, Alphabet and Oracle. The White House has fast-tracked data center projects and prioritized natural gas and coal for power generation.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must act fast to align with Energy Secretary Chris Wright's directive to standardize interconnections for large loads such as data centers. However, critics aren't sure the proposed rulemaking's technical requirements for flexibility and a six-month timeline are feasible. "It's not realistic," former FERC Commissioner Allison Clements says. "And Wright's authority to require that six-month speed rulemaking, is simply the bully pulpit, political pressure."