Latest news with #JohnHopkins
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
NRC approves NuScale's small modular reactor plant design
This story was originally published on Utility Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Utility Dive newsletter. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved NuScale Power's design for a 462-MW small modular reactor power plant, the U.S. nuclear regulator said on Thursday. NRC completed its technical review of NuScale's US460 in less than two years, ahead of schedule and under budget, it said. The US460 is based on NuScale's 12-module, 600-MW US600 design, which NRC approved in 2020 after more than three and a half years of review. The newly-approved design's larger modules will help NuScale power plants more effectively serve hyperscale data center customers, CEO John Hopkins told investors in November. Data centers represent a key segment for the company as it looks to lock down its first U.S. customer this year. The NRC approval came earlier than expected, according to estimated completion timelines provided by NRC and reiterated by Hopkins on several recent investor calls. NuScale had anticipated a final decision by July, Hopkins said on May 12. The approval could be crucial as NuScale moves through 'advanced commercial dialogue with major technology and industrial companies, utilities and national and local governments,' Hopkins said in March. 'Once we get finalization' for the 77-MWe design, 'we're off to the races,' Hopkins said. NuScale has not announced a binding customer deal. But in its first-quarter investor presentation, the company said it expected a 'firm customer order' by the end of this year. NuScale manufacturing partner Doosan has 12 modules in production now at its South Korea foundry and could deliver up to 20 per year in the near term, Hopkins said on May 12. Its first power plant could be operational by the end of 2030 if it gets a finalized deal soon, he added. For now, NuScale is acting as the nuclear technology subcontractor to Fluor Corp. on a 462-MW power plant project in Romania that could reach a final investment decision early next year. Though it has decreased its stake over time and has said it will continue to do so, Fluor remains a major shareholder in NuScale. NuScale previously had an agreement with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems for a 462-MW commercial power plant at Idaho National Laboratory. Known as the Carbon Free Power Project, that plant — like the design NRC approved on Thursday — would have used six 77-MW modules. But it was canceled in November 2023 as NuScale's target power price rose toward $90/MWh and interest from UAMPS members failed to materialize. Thursday's approval means the US460 meets 'applicable agency safety requirements' and can be referenced in future reactor construction permit, operating license or combined license applications, NRC said. But before building and operating a US460 plant, NuScale, its development partner ENTRA1 Energy or another entity would still have to apply for one or more of those permits or licenses. That process can take 30 months or longer at present, NRC says. Still, NRC's approval positions its technology as 'the most near-term American SMR power solution,' NuScale said on Thursday. In addition to being the only SMR with NRC design approval, NuScale's SMR technology is one of the few that runs on conventional low-enriched uranium rather than more scarce high-assay, low-enriched uranium. The approval boosts NuScale amid broader momentum for U.S. advanced nuclear companies. On May 23, the Trump administration issued four executive orders to expand reactor deployments, ease regulation and shore up domestic fuel and equipment supply chains. One order would require NRC to review new reactor applications within 18 months, significantly shorter than current timelines. Another would expand the roles of the departments of Energy and Defense in reactor licensing and deployment, potentially creating new pathways for design approvals and expedited siting of power plants on federal land. The GOP budget proposal that passed the House on May 22 gutted most clean energy tax credits while sparing the nuclear industry. Though the Senate is likely to change the bill before it comes up for a final vote, the House-passed version allows reactor projects that begin construction by 2028 to qualify for the full value of the Inflation Reduction Act's technology-neutral investment and production tax credits.
West Australian
5 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Burnout, underinvestment to blame for productivity slump, not working from home: Aussie academic
Overwork, burnout and underinvestment are the cause of falling productivity, not working from home, a workplace expert and academic says. A major report released this week by the Productivity Commission has found working from home at least some of the time is more productive than being in the office full-time. Multinational companies are mostly pulling the rank and file workers back into offices, while government agencies and academics work to assess the effectiveness of the pandemic-era work from home shift. 'There's no evidence to suggest working from home is the root cause of these recent productivity challenges, which have been going since long before most people were working from home,' Swinburne University workplace expert John Hopkins said. 'Overwork, burnout, underinvestment, outdated processes, and cost of living pressures are likely factors behind poor productivity.' During the federal election campaign, the Coalition quickly-abandoned a proposal for public servants to be back in offices five days a week. The architect of that failed policy, Liberal Senator Jane Hume, said in the lead-up to the election: 'It will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal government that all members of the (Australian Public Service) work from the office five days a week. But the proposal was so despised it was abandoned mid-campaign, and Senator Hume has since been dumped from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's newly-minted shadow cabinet. Released on Thursday, the Productivity Commission report finds arrangements where staff work from both the office and at home tend to benefit both productivity and job satisfaction. 'Allowing workers to work from home some days can improve worker satisfaction and allows people to benefit by avoiding the commute to work, meaning they have additional time for other purposes,' the commission finds. Working from home reduces sick days, breaks and distractions 'all of which are typically found to be beneficial for productivity', it says in the report. About 36 per cent of working Australians regularly do a shift from home; a tripling since before the pandemic. Working from home is markedly better for women, the Productivity Commission finds, however younger workers miss out on face-to-face learning. The report points to falling business investment as the reason national productivity fell by 1.2 per cent in 2024.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Major Aussie WFH lie exposed
Overwork, burnout and underinvestment are the cause of falling productivity, not working from home, a workplace expert and academic says. A major report released this week by the Productivity Commission has found working from home at least some of the time is more productive than being in the office full-time. Multinational companies are mostly pulling the rank and file workers back into offices, while government agencies and academics work to assess the effectiveness of the pandemic-era work from home shift. 'There's no evidence to suggest working from home is the root cause of these recent productivity challenges, which have been going since long before most people were working from home,' Swinburne University workplace expert John Hopkins said. More than one-in-three Australians with a job regularly work from home. Wikimedia commons Credit: Supplied 'Overwork, burnout, underinvestment, outdated processes, and cost of living pressures are likely factors behind poor productivity.' During the federal election campaign, the Coalition quickly-abandoned a proposal for public servants to be back in offices five days a week. The architect of that failed policy, Liberal Senator Jane Hume, said in the lead-up to the election: 'It will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal government that all members of the (Australian Public Service) work from the office five days a week. But the proposal was so despised it was abandoned mid-campaign, and Senator Hume has since been dumped from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's newly-minted shadow cabinet. After spearheading the push for an end to working from home, Senator Jane Hume has been demoted to the opposition back bench. NewsWire / Monique Harmer Credit: News Corp Australia Released on Thursday, the Productivity Commission report finds arrangements where staff work from both the office and at home tend to benefit both productivity and job satisfaction. 'Allowing workers to work from home some days can improve worker satisfaction and allows people to benefit by avoiding the commute to work, meaning they have additional time for other purposes,' the commission finds. Working from home reduces sick days, breaks and distractions 'all of which are typically found to be beneficial for productivity', it says in the report. About 36 per cent of working Australians regularly do a shift from home; a tripling since before the pandemic. Working from home is markedly better for women, the Productivity Commission finds, however younger workers miss out on face-to-face learning. The report points to falling business investment as the reason national productivity fell by 1.2 per cent in 2024.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Burnout, underinvestment to blame for productivity slump, not working from home: Aussie academic
Overwork, burnout and underinvestment are the cause of falling productivity, not working from home, a workplace expert and academic says. A major report released this week by the Productivity Commission has found working from home at least some of the time is more productive than being in the office full-time. Multinational companies are mostly pulling the rank and file workers back into offices, while government agencies and academics work to assess the effectiveness of the pandemic-era work from home shift. 'There's no evidence to suggest working from home is the root cause of these recent productivity challenges, which have been going since long before most people were working from home,' Swinburne University workplace expert  John Hopkins said. 'Overwork, burnout, underinvestment, outdated processes, and cost of living pressures are likely factors behind poor productivity.' During the federal election campaign, the Coalition quickly-abandoned a proposal for public servants to be back in offices five days a week. The architect of that failed policy, Liberal Senator Jane Hume, said in the lead-up to the election: 'It will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal government that all members of the (Australian Public Service) work from the office five days a week. But the proposal was so despised it was abandoned mid-campaign, and Senator Hume has since been dumped from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's newly-minted shadow cabinet. Released on Thursday, the Productivity Commission report finds arrangements where staff work from both the office and at home tend to benefit both productivity and job satisfaction. 'Allowing workers to work from home some days can improve worker satisfaction and allows people to benefit by avoiding the commute to work, meaning they have additional time for other purposes,' the commission finds. Working from home reduces sick days, breaks and distractions 'all of which are typically found to be beneficial for productivity', it says in the report. About 36 per cent of working Australians regularly do a shift from home; a tripling since before the pandemic. Working from home is markedly better for women, the Productivity Commission finds, however younger workers miss out on face-to-face learning. The report points to falling business investment as the reason national productivity fell by 1.2 per cent in 2024.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NuScale Power's Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Achieves Standard Design Approval from U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for 77 MWe
Uprated SMR design will support a wider range of off-takers and consumers seeking clean energy through small modular reactor technology NuScale remains the only SMR technology company to have received approval from the NRC for its SMR technology design; today's announcement marks NuScale's second design approved by the United States' nuclear regulator CORVALLIS, Ore., May 29, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR), the industry-leading provider of proprietary and innovative advanced small modular reactor nuclear technology, today announced that it has received design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its uprated 250 MWt (77 MWe) NuScale Power Modules™. The U.S. NRC's uprate approval of the NuScale SMR technology now strengthens ENTRA1 Energy to produce and deliver energy as the most near-term American SMR power solution via ENTRA1 Energy Plants™ with NuScale SMR technology inside. ENTRA1 Energy is NuScale's partner and independent power plant development platform, which holds the global exclusive rights to the commercialization, distribution, and deployment of NuScale's SMRs. The uprate approval by the U.S. regulatory authority increases the power output per module from NuScale's previously-approved 50 MWe design, enabling ENTRA1 Energy Plants to provide a wider range of off-takers and consumers with reliable, carbon-free energy. NuScale remains the only SMR technology company with design approval from the NRC, and the company remains on track for deployment by 2030. "We are thrilled that the NRC has approved our second SDA application, this time for our 77 MWe design. This marks a historic moment not only for NuScale, but the entire industry, as NuScale and ENTRA1 move closer to meeting the demands of clean energy users," said John Hopkins, NuScale President and Chief Executive Officer. "For more than a decade, our team has proudly worked alongside the NRC to achieve the successful approval of our designs. The NRC is domestically and internationally recognized and respected for its rigorous safety standards, and this approval is a crucial step toward meeting our goal of providing clean, reliable, and, most importantly, safe energy to off-takers and consumers." NuScale's first Design Certification Application (DCA) for its 160 MWt (50 MWe) SMR design was accepted by the NRC in March 2017. Subsequently, the NRC affirmed its approval of NuScale's 50 MWe SMR design, marking the first design to receive its approval. NuScale's uprated design features the same fundamental safety case and passive safety features previously approved by the NRC with a power uprate and select design changes to support growing capacity needs. Originally slated for approval later this summer, today's announcement marks the early completion of the NRC review process. "NuScale is proud to have worked with the NRC and to have met its stringent regulatory application process as we continue to lead the way in the SMR industry with our second design approval," said Carrie Fosaaen, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Services. "With today's announcement, NuScale continues to advance with ENTRA1 Energy in the commercialization of our SMR technology inside ENTRA1 Energy Plants while remaining steadfast in our mission to improve the quality of life for people around the world through safe, clean energy." About NuScale Power Founded in 2007, NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) is the industry-leading provider of proprietary and innovative advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology, with a mission to help power the global energy transition by delivering safe, scalable, and reliable carbon-free energy. The Company's groundbreaking SMR technology is powered by the NuScale Power Module™, a small, safe, pressurized water reactor that can each generate 77 megawatts of electricity (MWe) or 250 megawatts thermal (gross), and can be scaled to meet customer needs through an array of flexible configurations up to 924 MWe (12 modules) of output. As the first and only SMR to have its designs certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NuScale is well-positioned to serve diverse customers across the world by supplying nuclear energy for electrical generation, data centers, district heating, desalination, commercial-scale hydrogen production, and other process heat applications. To learn more, visit NuScale Power's website or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. About ENTRA1 Energy ENTRA1 Energy is an American independent global energy production platform dedicated to increasing energy security by providing safe, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible electric power. ENTRA1 Energy is NuScale's exclusive global strategic partner and holds the global exclusive rights to the commercialization, distribution, and deployment of all NuScale's products and services. ENTRA1 is the one-stop-shop and single hub for the financing, investment, development, execution, and/or management of ENTRA1 Energy Plants™ with NuScale SMRs-inside. To learn more, visit ENTRA1 ENERGY's website or follow us on LinkedIn and X. Forward Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements (including without limitation statements containing terms such as "will," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans" or other similar expressions). These forward-looking statements include statements relating to our SMR design's ability to support a wider range of off-takers, consumers and customers with energy, progress with respect to meeting the demands of clean energy users, our leadership in the SMR industry, our ability to deploy and the timeline for deployment, advancement of the commercialization of SMR technology, strategic and operational plans and expectations, the growth in demand for clean energy, capital deployment, future growth, new awards, backlog, earnings and the outlook for the Company's business. Actual results may differ materially as a result of a number of factors, including, among other things, the Company's liquidity and ability to raise capital; the Company's failure to receive new contract awards; cost overruns, project delays or other problems arising from project execution activities, including the failure to meet cost and schedule estimates; our expectations regarding obtaining regulatory approvals, and the timing thereof, to deploy our SMRs in the United States and abroad; forecasts regarding end-user adoption rates and demand for our products in the markets that are new and rapidly evolving; limitations on the effectiveness of our controls and procedures and our remediation plans related thereto; intense competition in the industries in which we operate; failure of our partners to perform their obligations; cyber-security breaches; foreign economic and political uncertainties; client cancellations of, or scope adjustments to, existing contracts; failure to maintain safe worksites and international security risks; risks or uncertainties associated with events outside of our control, including weather conditions, pandemics (including COVID-19), public health crises, political crises or other catastrophic events; macroeconomic conditions; the use of estimates and assumptions in preparing our financial statements; client delays or defaults in making payments; the failure of our suppliers, subcontractors and other third parties to adequately perform services under our contracts; uncertainties, restrictions and regulations impacting our government contracts; the inability to hire and retain qualified personnel; the potential impact of certain tax matters; possible information technology interruptions; the Company's ability to secure appropriate insurance; liabilities associated with the performance of nuclear services; foreign currency risks; the loss of one or a few clients that account for a significant portion of the Company's revenues; damage to our reputation; failure to adequately protect intellectual property rights; asset impairments; climate change and related environmental issues; increasing scrutiny with respect to sustainability practices; the availability of credit and restrictions imposed by credit facilities for our clients, suppliers, subcontractors or other partners; failure to obtain favorable results in existing or future litigation and regulatory proceedings, dispute resolution proceedings or claims, including claims for additional costs; failure by us or our employees, agents or partners to comply with laws; new or changing legal requirements, including those relating to environmental, health and safety matters; failure to successfully implement our strategic and operational initiatives and restrictions on possible transactions imposed by our charter documents and Delaware law. Caution must be exercised in relying on these and other forward-looking statements. Due to known and unknown risks, the Company's results may differ materially from its expectations and projections. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in the Company's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the general economic conditions and other risks, uncertainties and factors set forth in the section entitled "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Summary of Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and in subsequent filings with the SEC. The referenced SEC filings are available either publicly or upon request from NuScale's Investor Relations Department at ir@ The Company disclaims any intent or obligation other than as required by law to update the forward-looking statements. View source version on Contacts Media contact Chuck Goodnight, Vice President, Business Developmentmedia@ Investor contact Rodney McMahan, Senior Director, Investor Relationsir@
