iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

America chose its nuclear waste site based on a cost estimate, by accident. There are lessons that must be applied before the next site evaluation.🔌💡

The same five sites under five readings of DOE’s own 1986 numbers; the last column is the ranking that went forward. Rank 1 is the most favorable site, and the shaded blocks are functional ties.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Large infrastructure projects don't fail because of a single bottleneck. They fail because approval is stratified across independent layers, with different definitions of risk, and non-substitutable approvals. My new report explains why solving one often just moves the problem. 🔌💡

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Is there a "Reverse Information Paradox", as Satya Nadella suggests? He is half right, but only if you set a narrow scope—include firms, but exclude people.

The Reverse Information Paradox Depends on the People it Leaves Out.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Licensing microreactors and other low-consequence reactors took a major step. The NRC published a new proposed framework, called Part 57. I outline some of the major provisions here. The rule is open for public comment for the next 45 days. 🔌💡 thebreakthrough.org/issues/nucle...

thebreakthrough.org

Part 57: Right-Sizing Nuclear Regulation for Low-Consequence Reactors

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

The NRC renewed the license for Diablo Canyon Power Plant for another 20 years! This is a major milestone. Just a few years ago DCPP was set to retire under CA policy. Thanks to the work of many people, and the undeniable need for reliable power, DCPP was renewed instead. 🔌💡

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is working on a large volume of rulemakings. I created an NRC Rulemaking Tracker to help the public stay informed and engaged. It updates multiple times a day, and opportunities to submit public comments are highlighted. You can even download a pdf!

Screenshot of the NRC Rulemaking tracker

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted to issue the Construction Permit for TerraPower's first plant in Wyoming. The review was completed well ahead of schedule. This is a very positive step forward. 🔌💡 Read our comment here: thebreakthrough.org/press/releas...

Timeline of NRC application review for Kemmerer Unit 1.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Two new papers claim nuclear plants increase cancer risk. That sounds alarming. But they are not studies of radiation exposure. They are studies of geographic proximity and do not provide valid results. 🔌💡

Landscape of a community near a nuclear power plant.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

DOE’s $2.7B for uranium enrichment is necessary, but it won’t solve the HALEU problem. The constraint was never technical capacity. It’s the absence of early, durable offtake. The U.S. can already produce HALEU at pilot scale. New piece www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/why-billio... 🔌💡

breakthroughjournal.org

Why Billions for Uranium Enrichment Still Won’t Deliver Nuclear Fuel

Despite new federal spending, the missing ingredient for advanced nuclear power remains a buyer willing to commit early

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Ho Nieh was designated as the new Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. thebreakthrough.org/press/releas...

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

In nuclear safety, we spend too much time chasing statistical ghosts—deploying studies that cannot resolve risk instead of governing the risks that actually matter. Today, @thebulletin.org published my article with PJ Seel on this exact problem.

No, the United States does not need a costly national cancer study near nuclear reactors
By Adam Stein, PJ Seel | January 2, 2026

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

I had the opportunity to contribute to the issue "The New Atomic Era" In Vanguardia Dossier alongside many thoughtful writers. While I don't agree with everything, this issue covers a lot of topics all in one place.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

The NRC independence is being debated. However, most don’t understand the nature of the NRC’s independence or statutory history. In short, the NRC has never been fully independent from other parts of government; instead, it is built on layers of independence and oversight 🔌💡

Swearing in of the first NRC Commissioners, January 23, 1975. From left to right, Richard T. Kennedy, Edward A. Mason, Victor Gilinsky, Marcus A. Rowden, William Anders, Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller, Valerie Anders, and Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

If the US really wants to expand nuclear to 400GW nationwide by 2050, the US must secure enrichment ~5x-10x of current domestic capacity. This new report explores the potential future US + global nuclear fuel supply chain needs, from uranium enrichment to mining.🧵

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

States are trying to figure out how to accelerate the deployment of new nuclear energy. A lot can be done to pre-screen sites, but states aren't sure where to start. This new resource solves that problem with clear, actionable data topics. thebreakthrough.org/issues/nucle...

thebreakthrough.org

Guide to NRC Application Data Requirements for State Implementers

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

An $80b partnership with Westinghouse, Cameco, Brookfield, and the US government to build nuclear reactors. This will help to finance new large reactor builds and largely saturate the AP1000 supply chain. The $ comes from an economic agreement with Japan. www.ft.com/content/e8a5...

ft.com

US government and Westinghouse strike $80bn nuclear reactor deal

Agreement that uses funding from Japan is part of Donald Trump’s push to quadruple country’s nuclear capacity by 2050

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Google and NextEra signed a 25-year agreement to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa. The 615 MW plant is expected to deliver power in 2029. The Palisades nuclear restart has created a pathway for other plants to follow. on.ft.com/47ujULo

on.ft.com

Google agrees deal to reopen US nuclear plant with NextEra

Duane Arnold Energy Center expected to start delivering power in 2029

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

DOE was directed to create a reactor pilot program in EO 14301. We recommend that the program be used as intended, specifically for prototyping and testing designs, to improve later commercial products. There are several challenges that need to be addressed. thebreakthrough.org/issues/nucle...

thebreakthrough.org

Making DOE's Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program Work

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

The NRC issued a license today to DISA Technologies to use its system to remediate abandoned uranium mines. This is a very positive step toward addressing mines that were improperly handled decades ago, mostly for weapons production.

Letter from the NRC approving DISA's license application for license SUA-1605

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Palisades nuclear plant officially returned to operational status today after receiving appropriate approvals from the NRC. This is the first plant to officially transition from decommissioning status back to operational. Truly blazing a trail for other restarts to follow.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

I was honored to be part of the planning committee for the recent @nationalacademies.org workshop Pathways for New Nuclear Deployment. There are new opportunities for building next-generation reactors to produce reliable, clean energy. However, significant, but solvable, barriers remain.

National Academies workshop Pathways for New Nuclear Development.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

How do you make pie charts worse? By making them hexagons instead! Sorry EPRI, great report, but this is a chart crime.

Figure ES-1. U.S. Energy Wallet: Break-out by State and Fuel in 2024.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

A first PPA by a utility for power from a Gen IV nuclear plant was announced today. @kairospower.bsky.social will sell power to TVA for use by Google. The Hermes 2 project will change to a single reactor and increase to 50 MWe, operational in 2030. kairospower.com/external_upd...

kairospower.com

Google, Kairos Power, TVA Collaborate to Meet America's Growing Energy Needs - Kairos Power

Google and Kairos Power to deploy first advanced nuclear plant in Tennessee Valley under order book agreement

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Thanks to @kbrigham.bsky.social for letting me help with this article. There is a lot of optimism right now and announcements. Those announcements still have challenges ahead before they turn into reactors. The market should expect some to drop out, just like other sectors.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Ho Nieh is nominated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Neih was the former Director of the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and is currently working for Southern Company and INPO. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

whitehouse.gov

Nominations Sent to the Senate

Thomas Albus, of Missouri, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri for the term of four years. Timothy Dill, of Ohio, to be an

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Commissioner Caputo resigned from the NRC a year before her term ends. This is a loss as her votes were substantive, and she was willing to identify issues that others were not and push for improvements, rather than simply accepting the status quo. thebreakthrough.org/press/releas...

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

🏗️Trilled to finally introduce ACTION, to accelerate nuclear energy deployment. It is a milestone-based program to address the root causes of project risk for advanced nuclear energy projects. 🔌💡

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

🚨New paper out on reconsidering the radiation protection model at the NRC. The paper discusses what science indicates, what it cannot demonstrate, and how policy is separate but informed by science. We recommend a pragmatic, tiered approach that aligns with other hazards. 🔌💡

Drawing the Line: The Linear
No-Threshold Model, and When are
Doses Too Small to Matter?

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Returning Palisades and a few other nuclear power plants to operation is technically feasible, the lowest possible environmental impact, the fastest path to clean firm power, and a regulatory pathway is being constructed. 🔌💡 www.eenews.net/articles/mot...

eenews.net

Mothballed nuclear plant on brink of revival

Michigan's Palisades plant is planning to turn on again this fall after Democrats and Republicans got behind the project — but it's not free from

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

The projected date to finish the Construction Permit for the first TerraPower reactor is now the end of 2025, 8 months early. This demonstrates both the slack in the existing NRC process, and the potential to improve efficiency while not "cutting corners" on the technical review

The purpose of this letter is to inform US SFR Owner, LLC (USO), a wholly owned subsidiary of
TerraPower, LLC (TerraPower), of a schedule change for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) staff’s review of the construction permit (CP) application for the Kemmerer
Power Station Unit 1 (Kemmerer 1). By letter dated February 26, 2025 (Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25055A019), the NRC staff
communicated that it planned to complete the review of the CP application by June 2026, which
was ahead of the original August 2026 date. Additionally, the draft environmental impact
statement (EIS) was recently issued in June 2025 (ML25154A651), one month ahead of
schedule. As a result of frequent and productive engagements with USO and considering
Executive Order 14300, the NRC staff plans to issue the final safety evaluation and the final EIS
by December 31, 2025, ahead of the updated schedule communicated in the February 26,
2025, letter.
This schedule shift is being accommodated primarily through streamlined reviews by
management and the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; however, there remain
technical topics for the staff to make its regulatory findings.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Major changes were made to the NRC FY 2025 fee recovery rule to implement reduced fees for advanced reactors, based on our substantive comments and several others.

Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2025
A Rule by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on 06/24/2025

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

The Breakthrough Institute and Good Energy Collective support the renomination of David Wright to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/the-wright...

breakthroughjournal.org

The Wright Man for the Job

David Wright Is a Great Choice to Lead at the NRC

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

The NRC prevailed on the Interim Storage of spent fuel. The Supreme Court found that Texas and Fasken Land and Minerals did not meet the standard of an aggrieved party and overturned the decision of the 5th Circuit court.

JUSTICE KAVANAUGH delivered the opinion of the Court.
More than 50 nuclear power plants in the United States
produce electricity for American homes and businesses.
But those plants also generate dangerous spent nuclear
fuel, which is usually stored on site. Because some plants
are shutting down or no longer operating, on-site storage is
not a viable long-term solution. To address the storage
problem, federal law has long designated the Yucca
Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository in Nevada as the
future permanent site for disposal of spent nuclear fuel.
But the Nevada project has caused significant political
controversy and has stalled.
To fill the void, some private businesses have sought to
build and operate facilities to store spent nuclear fuel “off
site”—that is, off the site of a nuclear power plant. To do
so, however, they need to obtain licenses from the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission.
Here, the Commission granted a renewable 40-year
license to a private entity seeking to store spent nuclear fuel
at an off-site facility in West Texas. The State of Texas and
a private West Texas business known as Fasken Land and
Minerals objected to the project and sued in the U. S. Court
of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. They argued that federal
law does not authorize storage of spent nuclear fuel at
private off-site facilities.
The threshold question here is whether Texas and
Fasken may maintain this suit. The Court of Appeals said
yes. We disagree. Under the Hobbs Act, only an aggrieved
“party” may obtain judicial review of a Commission
licensing decision. To qualify as a party to a licensing
proceeding, the Atomic Energy Act requires that one either
be a license applicant or have successfully intervened in the
licensing proceeding. In this case, however, Texas and
Fasken are not license applicants, and they did not
successfully intervene in the licensing proceeding. So
neither was a party eligible to obtain judicial review in the
Fifth Circuit. For that reason, we reverse the judgment of
the Court of Appeals and do not decide the underlying
statutory dispute over whether the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission possesses authority to license private off-site
storage facilities.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Update since last night, David Wright was renominated. It's unlikely that the Senate could process his nomination before his term ends, which will lead to a gap. Typically, commissioners will wait on votes if a colleague is expected to return, slowing down the commission.

Nomination of David Wright on Congress.gov

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

The unprecedented step to remove Commissioner Hanson from the NRC could upend the current bipartisan support for nuclear energy. A return to partisan polarization will almost certainly cripple efforts to make progress. thebreakthrough.org/press/releas...

thebreakthrough.org

RELEASE: Breakthrough Institute Statement on the Termination of NRC…

The Breakthrough Institute is an environmental research center based in Berkeley, California. Our research focuses on identifying and promoting technological solutions to environmental and human devel...

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

The NRC accepted X-Energy's application for a construction permit for the first facility at Dow's Long Mott site. 18 months, 28,500 staff hours totalling $9.2M at $323/hr, and $1.3M in outside support. The review uses an environmental assessment instead of an EIS. www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2515/...

https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2515/ML25155B841.pdf

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

LNT and ALARA, two polarizing terms in nuclear energy. The NRC was tasked with reconsidering both the LNT radiation model and ALARA requirement by a recent executive order. But, many misunderstand what LNT and ALARA are, and what pragmatic evidence-based solutions are available 🔌💡

How to Regulate Radiation Exposure
What is the LNT Model of Radiation Exposure Risk and How Can We Fix It

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Meta purchases the output +30MW uprate of Clinton nuclear plant in IL from Constellation with a 20 year PPA starting in 2027. Previously slated for retirement for being barely more expensive than fossil generation, nuclear now gets a premium price. 🔌💡 www.wsj.com/business/ene...

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

As I said earlier, the nuclear plants were not the cause of the outage

MISO: New Orleans Area Outages Owed to Scant Gen, Congestion, Heat
Entergy Says Offline Nuclear Generation not a Major Factor

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

The NRC published the Standard Design Approval for the NuScale US460 plant design, which uses up to 6 of the uprated 77 MWe modules. A standard design approval is primarily a safety evaluation for a generic design and can be referenced in site specific applications www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2512/...

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Recent nuclear related executive orders are intended to drive change. There is some positive and negative. Some saying the quiet part out loud, acknowledging tradeoffs, and benefits to society. The key will be implementation and a broader strategy www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/can-trump-...

breakthroughjournal.org

Can Trump Expedite a Nuclear Renaissance?

The Executive Orders Show Promise, But Are Just the Beginning

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

Four executive orders related to nuclear energy were signed today. There are a lot of good provisions that move toward the nation's original vision, for atomic energy to "make the maximum contribution" to benefit society. Short thread to come... thebreakthrough.org/press/releas...

thebreakthrough.org

RELEASE: Four Nuclear Executive Orders Signed, and There is a Long…

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Correcting seven misconceptions about building new nuclear energy. Some people are very entrenched on a few of these misconceptions. www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/seven-more...

breakthroughjournal.org

Seven More Things You Thought You Knew About Nuclear Energy

Correcting Nuclear Misconceptions

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Would the end of the IRA credits end all hope of building new nuclear energy? Instead of hot takes, Deric Tilson and I walk through the substance behind this question. 🔌💡 www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/does-nucle...

breakthroughjournal.org

Does Nuclear Energy Need the IRA Credits?

The Big, Beautiful Buildout of Nuclear (Or Not?)

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

GE Hitachi receives approval to build the first BWRX-300 from the Province of Ontario and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) at the Darlington nuclear site in Ontario, Canada. vernova.is/3GVWrca

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Kairos has started safety-related construction of their Hermes demonstration reactor! This is an important milestone for any nuclear energy facility. It is also an important milestone for advanced nuclear energy in the U.S. 🔌💡 kairospower.com/external_upd...

kairospower.com

Kairos Power Begins Nuclear Safety-Related Construction of Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor - Kairos Power

Kairos Power completed the first safety-related concrete pour for a U.S. advanced reactor under an NRC construction permit on May 7, 2025.

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Dr. Adam Stein @astein.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Google and Elementl team up to find 3 sites that each can support 600 MW of advanced nuclear power. This continues the trend of off-takers leading deployment and requires a different solution. Conventional wisdom won't always be useful. 🔌💡 subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

Site development is an often underappreciated barrier to nuclear deployment. By securing sites and advancing environmental permitting before a reactor vendor is even chosen, Elementl and Google are effectively flipping the traditional model of nuclear development, which has historically been driven by utilities with fixed regional demand.

“We now have off-takers in the driver’s seat,” Stein said. “They want to accelerate deployment to meet their projected demand that is not necessarily region-specific. That means they need a different organization that can help find and approve those sites.”

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