Meet Browns Ferry 👋 It’s one of the largest nuclear power plants in the country that provides reliable, secure, and affordable power to millions of homes each day in the Tennessee valley. Tennessee Valley Authority
Office of Nuclear Energy | U.S. Department of Energy
Government Administration
Washington, District of Columbia 92,087 followers
Advancing new technologies to rapidly expand nuclear energy in the United States ⚛️.
About us
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) mission is to advance nuclear power to meet the nation's energy, environmental, and national security needs. Under the guidance of three research objectives, NE resolves barriers to technical, cost, safety, security, and proliferation resistance through early-stage research, development, and demonstration to: -Enhance the long-term viability and competitiveness of the existing U.S. reactor fleet. -Develop an advanced reactor pipeline. -Implement and maintain national strategic fuel cycle and supply chain infrastructure.
- Website
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https://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy
External link for Office of Nuclear Energy | U.S. Department of Energy
- Industry
- Government Administration
- Company size
- 10,001+ employees
- Headquarters
- Washington, District of Columbia
- Founded
- 1977
- Specialties
- Energy policy, research and development, science, nuclear energy
Updates
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On this day in 1965, the U.S. launched its first and only space reactor into space. SNAP-10A was a sodium-potassium cooled fast reactor developed as part of a research project for the United States Department of Defense to power a satellite. The reactor produced 500 watts of power and operated for 43 days during its flight test and was prematurely shut down by a faulty command receiver.
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NEWS: Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a new high-temperature testbed to advance R&D on nuclear thermal propulsion rockets. The new testbed can be placed closer to the reactor core to mimic the extreme heat and radiation conditions nuclear fuels and materials will face in space. Learn more: https://bit.ly/44580az
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On this day in 2023 Plant Vogtle Unit 3 first connected to the grid. Unit 3 is one of two AP1000 reactors at the site, which are the most advanced light-water reactor systems on the grid today. Plant Vogtle is the nation’s largest nuclear power plant and a key asset to unleashing more affordable, reliable, and secure energy in the U.S.
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20 MORE YEARS: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission just renewed the operating licenses for Oconee Units 1, 2 and 3 for a second time. All three units will be unleashing more reliable and affordable American energy through 2054. 12 reactors now have been cleared to extend their operations for 80 years. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3XHTcuK
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NEW: Idaho National Laboratory unveils a first-of-a-kind molten salt loop that’s expected to give molten salt reactor R&D a BIG boost. The new loop will be used to help support the world’s first fast-spectrum, salt-fueled reactor experiment at lab. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4i5szaw
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ON THIS DAY back in 1987, Vogtle Unit 1 connected to the grid in Waynesboro, GA. The site has grown to four units with the recent additions of two new AP1000 reactors and is the largest nuclear power plant in the country. Plant Vogtle provides reliable and secure power to more than 1 million homes in the Southeast. 📷: Georgia Power Company
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EBR-I was the first power plant to produce usable electricity through atomic fission. It powered four 200-watt lightbulbs in 1951 and eventually generated enough electricity to light the entire facility. EBR-I was a liquid metal-cooled fast reactor designed to demonstrate that it could create more fuel than it consumed. Not only do liquid metal coolants like sodium – or the sodium-potassium alloy used in EBR-I – transfer heat better than today's light-water reactors, but they also have a more sustainable fuel cycle over a longer period. Learn more: https://bit.ly/37tCXYi
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Bringing common sense back to nuclear energy.
We are pleased to announce that we have removed a Biden-imposed DEI requirement for applicants of our Small Modular Reactor pilot program. Applicants will now be judged solely on technical merit so we can unleash affordable nuclear energy as quickly as possible.