Latest news with #Westinghouse
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mirion's Focus on Digital Innovation: Is it a Sign for Further Growth?
Mirion Technologies MIR is actively involved in digital innovation, particularly within the nuclear and radiation safety sectors. The company focuses on integrating digital technologies into its radiation safety solutions. To this end, last month, the company inked a deal with Westinghouse Electric Company to enhance nuclear instrumentation with digital solutions. The objective of the deal is to upgrade analog systems to modern digital Ex-core Nuclear Instrumentation Systems. Utilizing the high-performing Mirion proTK product line, this collaboration aims to deliver digital upgradation to existing analog neutron flux systems. This digital upliftment will naturally reduce operational burdens and enhance performance in nuclear power plants. Digital equipment is capable of delivering precise and accurate measurements. Unlike analog counterparts, digital systems of Mirion are less susceptible to spectrum degradation caused by changes in gain resulting from environmental temperature variations. The resultant stability ensures that the collected data is of the highest quality, boosting the confidence of researchers and reducing time wasted on troubleshooting. The transition from analog to digital creates the opportunity to quickly record and store data in a standardized, preset format during acquisition and transmission. This guarantees data integrity and facilitates reproducibility. Another advantage associated with digital solutions is the ability to interface with equipment remotely. The Mirion Lynx II system enables real-time monitoring and control of germanium and neutron detectors. This remote access not only offers convenience but also allows continuous observation over extended periods. Taking a Look at Some Other Nuclear Energy Stocks Constellation Energy CEG is an industry leader in operating nuclear plants safely, efficiently and reliably. CEG's nuclear fleet capacity factor was an impressive 94.6% in 2024. This indicates continued strong production in the current year. The acquisition of NRG Energy's 44% ownership stake in the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station should help Constellation Energy expand operations in the country. The South Texas Project is a two-unit nuclear plant located southwest of Houston, with a total capacity of 2,645 MW. BWX Technologies BWXT manufactures and sells nuclear components in the United States, Canada and internationally. BWXT supplies precision-manufactured components and services to the commercial nuclear power industry. BWX Technologies has landed deals and partnerships with the U.S. Department of Defense to help build a cutting-edge micro-nuclear reactor. The company is also working alongside key commercial nuclear energy companies such as GE Vernova and SMR standout TerraPower. MIR's Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates Shares of MIR have gained 24.8% so far this year, outperforming the Zacks Technology-Services' 13.2% uptick in the same timeframe. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From a valuation perspective, Mirion is trading at a premium compared with the industry average. Its 12-month forward price-to-sales of 5.6X is higher than the industry average of 3.29X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MIR's second-quarter, third-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings has remained stable over the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research MIR's Zacks Rank MIR currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Mirion Technologies, Inc. (MIR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) : Free Stock Analysis Report BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Nuclear Power Startups Are Heating up in Southern California, with Radiant's Ultra-Portable Microreactors a Major Player
What if you could deliver a megawatt of energy anywhere in the world a cargo container could be shipped? For an El Segundo-based company, this sci-fi-sounding dream may be much more 'next Tuesday' than 'next planet.' Radiant, a startup that is repackaging and refining traditional nuclear technology into a portable microreactor, is on the home stretch to development and testing of its prototype reactor following a $165 million Series C funding round (bringing total raised capital to $225 million) and the hiring of key executives, including Dr. Rita Baranwal, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. Baranwal serves as Radiant's chief nuclear officer, and most recently worked at Westinghouse on their modular reactor program. The company also hired Mike Starrett as its first chief revenue officer. In fact, the company recently signed an agreement to build 26 microreactors, including 20 units for an as-yet-undisclosed customer. 'Our focus is on the portability of nuclear power because then you could put a reactor in a place where you would have never imagined possible in the past,' said Doug Bernauer, chief executive and founder of Radiant. 'We have ceramic-coated, poppy-seed-size fuel and helium coolant. That combination means you can't have a leak and you can't damage the environment – you can give people the option of picking a nuclear reactor generator over a diesel generator.' The company is on track to be the first to to develop and test its 1 megawatt (MW) Kaleidos microreactor at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, which is scheduled for next year. The research design and its construction is being conducted by a team that has grown to about 100 employees. Radiant is among five nuclear developers that were announced as recipients of high-assay, low-enriched uranium to fuel reactor demonstrations. These companies, and a handful of others, are racing to be first to market with nuclear microreactors, which offer a clean energy source that can be deployed for a variety of uses that typically rely on diesel generators. They produce about 100 to 1,000 times less electricity than conventional reactors and can operate independent of an electric grid. Use cases include backup generators at infrastructure sites, like hospitals to remote power needs in off-grid areas such as military bases, data centers, ships, desalinization plants and specific industrial facilities. The company expects its nuclear microreactor to be competitive with diesel generators where diesel fuel is priced at $6.50 per gallon. That price is above the average price for diesel in the United States, but it can be well below pricing for fuel in other countries and distant areas that rely on generators for power. Microreactors can provide a steady energy source at a consistent price and will include enough fuel for several years. Nuclear fuel can be replenished in a portable manner. More importantly, the design has a passive cooling system that uses helium gas rather than water to cool the reactor. It is meltdown-proof and leak-safe, ensuring protection of people and the surrounding environment. 'We needed to make sufficient design progress to show the Department of Energy that this small startup in Southern California deserves its portion of this precious material it holds for the industry,' said Tori Shivanandan, Radiant chief operating officer. 'Now we have the funding, we have fuel, and we have the team. We're finalizing the design and getting parts on order. I like to say we have our shot on goal.' That design has been years in the making. The company moved into its current building in El Segundo, a former Hughes Aerospace warehouse, about three years ago, vacating a former dance studio that it used as an office. Leveling up in square footage was essential, as the company was rapidly growing and needed space for hardware to be delivered and the team to expand. The new location was great because it offered access to Southern California's vast talent pool of engineers, but it was in rough shape. Early employees sat in the dark as they worked through building renovations that added heating and air conditioning. Even now, the company temporarily ran out of desks for additional staff and Shivanandan said that she planned to sit in the kitchen for several days until new desks arrived. The genesis of the company was from the desire to explore space and inhabit Mars. Bernauer moved to California in 2007 to work as an engineer at SpaceX. The company was headquartered in El Segundo at the time, and he worked on the Falcon 1 rocket, Falcon 9 rocket and other projects promoted by Elon Musk, such as Hyperloop and the Boring Company, before pivoting to Mars colonization plans. He investigated ways to power development on our neighbor planet, and nuclear power generation compared favorably to other power sources, like solar. However, there were no companies that provided an off-the-shelf solution to launch a small nuclear reactor into space. He originally tried to develop a nuclear program within SpaceX but eventually decided to create Radiant in 2019. 'I started researching nuclear on nights and weekends, looking at Wikipedia, and my curiosity lead down the path of who can do nuclear now, how quickly can they do it and what does it cost?' said Bernauer, who provided some of the initial company funding himself. 'I was fully committed to making this thing happen.' Radiant is on target to construct its nuclear reactor and test it in 2026. With its recent round of funding, it anticipates that it has raised enough to carry it through construction of a prototype and testing in 2026 as well as the establishment of a larger scale manufacturing facility to ramp up production. At full capacity, the company expects to build about 50 microreactors per year. 'I was blown away by their capability and vision. The nuclear industry needed people from other sectors to come into nuclear because nuclear hadn't built anything new for a long time,' said Dr. Rachel Slaybaugh, partner at DCVC, the Palo Alto-based venture capital firm that led the Series C round. Slaybaugh is a trained nuclear scientist who taught at the University of California, Berkeley and previously served as an independent board member. 'Radiant has gone very fast with not very many resources.' There is a flurry of activity from established companies and startups looking to repackage nuclear energy at a variety of reactor sizes. At the smallest level, both startups and established nuclear companies are developing microreactors, which can be packaged and transported in a shipping container on a truck or even in an aircraft and deployed in a relatively short amount of time. Many of these companies are working with the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, which is where they will demonstrate and test microreactor designs. They are designed to use low-enriched uranium with higher concentrations of uranium-235 than the fuel used in conventional reactors. Companies developing microreactors include Torrance-based Antares, which opened a new 128,000-square-foot factory this year for research and development, component manufacturing, and assembly of its first microreactors. The company is targeting testing by 2027. It raised $30 million in Series A financing last year, co-led by Alt Cap and existing lead seed investor Caffeinated Capital, with participation from Rogue, Uncommon Capital, Shrug, Banter Capital, Box Group and Shine Capital. On a larger scale, small modular reactors are typically designed to be connected to an electric grid while providing 50 to 300 MW. TerraPower, a small modular reactor company that was founded by Bill Gates, is developing Natrium, a next-generation nuclear power plant. The Natrium reactor uses liquid sodium as a coolant rather than a traditional water-cooled reactor. Its first plant is a 345 MW facility that is currently under construction in Kemmerer, Wy., and includes a storage system that can boost output to 500 MW. It is being developed as part of a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. In June, TerraPower announced that it raised an additional $650 million in funding from both new investors, including NVentures, the venture capital arm of NVIDIA, and current investors, including founder Bill Gates and HD Hyundai, an industry leader in shipbuilding. Gates has invested $1 billion in the company. Not to be outdone, tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon have also signed agreements to explore advanced nuclear technology. While this technology is expanding and the next-generation plants are exploring safer ways to cool reactors, conventional reactors have been phased out in California, and there have been very few new reactors built nationwide, primarily due to the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 and changing economics. In California, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was permanently closed in 2013 due to issues with its steam generators. Diablo Canyon Power Plant, which is operated by PG&E, is the only conventional nuclear power plant in California and was in the process of being decommissioned, but a state decision to extend operations through at least 2030 is in place with the possibility of further extensions. Public perception is changing due to increased power demands and the fragile electric grid in the United States. In June, New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed the state's public electric utility to develop and construct an advanced nuclear power plant in Upstate New York with a capacity of one gigawatt of electricity. Furthermore, the nuclear industry has received boosts from the Trump administration, which signed several executive orders to advance nuclear power. Some Army installations could be powered by nuclear microreactors under a May 2025 executive order calling for deploying advanced nuclear reactor technologies. The order, citing national security concerns, directs the Army to establish a program utilizing the technology and requires operation of a nuclear reactor at a domestic military base or installation by Sept. 30, 2028. It is one of a series of orders that seeks to increase the amount of nuclear energy produced in the United States, which is estimated to produce only about 20% of its energy usage currently from nuclear sources. Those orders build on earlier projects. In 2022, the Defense Department awarded a $300-million contract to Lynchburg, Virginia-based BWX Technologies to develop a microreactor that could be transported by a C-17 cargo plane and set up to power a military base for several years before refueling. The U.S. military is a strong customer base for many aerospace and defense startups – and Radiant was selected as a finalist by the Defense Innovation Unit for a potential contract to have its reactor on a U.S. military base – Bernauer still has his eye towards the sky. 'What we have to do is get reactors operating for about five years and then take the thing apart and inspect it to see what's breaking and what's working well. From there, we can make extremely reliable reactors that can operate anywhere,' said Bernauer. 'I want to be able to eventually make the space reactor for Elon (Musk), but to do that, you need something highly reliable and transportable.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The US Is Getting 10 Nuclear Reactors to Power AI
President Trump today announced $92 billion in AI-related investments, one of which is 10 new nuclear reactors to be built by Westinghouse in partnership with Google. Construction will begin by 2030, interim CEO Dan Sumner told Trump today at a conference at Carnegie Mellon University, CNBC reports. But given the company's history, that's easier said than done. The US has built just three reactors in the past 30 years, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The first is a 2016 project in Tennessee. Two followed, both at the same site in Georgia—one in 2023 and one in 2024. (The latter is not shown on the graph below, which contains data up to 2023.) Both Georgia reactors are the same Westinghouse model the company plans to build again for its next set of 10, called the AP100. But that project came in $18 billion over budget and seven years behind schedule. The federal government under President Obama issued an $8.33 billion loan to help guarantee its completion, but Westinghouse still filed for bankruptcy in 2017 in large part due to its troubles in Georgia, Reuters reports. What's different this time? Westinghouse is throwing AI at the problem. It's partnering with Google Cloud AI streamline production, making it "an efficient, repeatable process." "By partnering with Google can accelerate the deployment of new AP1000 units while implementing powerful AI technologies that will optimize the construction and operations of nuclear power plants," says Sumner. The CEO says the nuclear industry is "reinvigorated" after Trump issued four executive orders to promote the industry in May. It remains to be seen if Google's AI can save Westinghouse's nuclear reactor business, but the company says it's already "successfully achieved a first-of-its-kind proof of concept" using Google Cloud tech. It's using three Google services: Vertex AI (a machine learning platform), Gemini (Google's flagship large language model), and BigQuery (a cloud-based data warehouse). Together, they are able to "autonomously generate and optimize AP100" construction plans, Westinghouse says. But using AI to construct nuclear reactors might be a recipe for disaster. Hallucinations remain a stubborn issue with large language models, so Westingouse will need to double (triple?) check every output. Any issues with these projects could tank the industry, which has fallen out of favor after the disasters at Chernobyl (1986), Three Mile Island (1979), and Fukushima (2011). Could AI make things worse, or create a black box in which even Westinghouse isn't quite sure how the reactor was built? The tech industry is willing to take the risk in its desperate quest for more energy to power its AI data centers. Microsoft is reviving the Three Mile Island plant to power its AI ambitions. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week announced plans to create several data centers to achieve "superintelligence." Nuclear power could be an attractive, environmentally friendly option—if it works.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Westinghouse Lays Groundwork to Build 10 New Nuclear Reactors
The US energy industry's long nuclear winter may finally be giving way to spring. None other than Westinghouse, the firm responsible for the only two nuclear reactors built in the US in the past three decades, is among those leading the charge. The company has announced plans to begin construction on 10 reactors in the US by 2030. Hopefully, Westinghouse has learned some lessons from its previous projects. READ ALSO: Ethereum Treasuries Boom as Companies Look Beyond Bitcoin and Goldman's 'Midas Touch' During Turbulent Quarter Delivers Record Trading Results Wishin' We Were Fission Westinghouse has changed hands a bit since completing its last nuclear reactors, both at Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia. That's because the Georgia project proved something of a disaster. Not 'Three Mile Island' disastrous, mind you, but some seven years and $18 billion over budget. That proved enough to tip the company into bankruptcy in 2017. It re-emerged the following year and was acquired in 2023 by Brookfield Asset Management and Canadian uranium mining company Cameco. This time around, the company is following the lead of the White House, which hopes that a series of executive orders issued earlier this year will kickstart a nuclear rebound. The extra gigawatts would come in handy as extreme weather stresses the US energy grid; on Wednesday, heat advisories issued across the eastern US prompted an emergency alert from major grid operator IJM Interconnection. Worsening the country's energy woes are the massive and power-hungry data centers — especially those powering artificial intelligence — that are increasingly coming online. Fittingly, one of the tech titans building those data centers is helping Westinghouse turn its nuclear dreams into reality, possibly on time and on budget: On Tuesday, Westinghouse announced that it would team with Google, using the tech company's AI tools to turn the construction of its AP1000 reactors into an 'efficient, repeatable process.' Each of those 10 reactors can generate enough electricity to power more than 750,000 homes, creating as much as $75 billion in economic value across the country, interim Westinghouse CEO Dan Sumner said on Tuesday. Alphabet Soup: Helping out Westinghouse is just one part of Google's plans to support the energy demands of its growing AI ambitions. On Tuesday, the company also announced that it would invest $25 billion in data-center and AI infrastructure, including plans to upgrade two hydropower plants in Pennsylvania. Microsoft, too, is getting in on the action, announcing Wednesday a partnership with the Idaho National Laboratory to use its AI tools to speed up licensing and permitting of nuclear projects. The challenge will be not using too much AI while trying to make sure the grid gets upgraded so they can use more AI. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive delivering razor sharp analysis and perspective on all things finance, economics, and markets, subscribe to our free The Daily Upside newsletter.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
Banish blackouts with the best deals on generators and power stations
Power outages are a huge pain, and can seriously disrupt your life. Stop worrying about what will happen to all the food in your fridge or your pipes in the winter should you lose power and invest in a generator. Or, maybe you're a frequent camper and need a way to power your mini fridge, TV and lights. A portable generator can give you all the power you need to stay comfortable while you're in the woods. We've found the best deals on generators and power stations, featuring trusted brands like Honda, Anker, Champion and Yamaha. Original price: $1,499 The DuroMax 13,000-watt generator is made with heavy-duty metal and no plastic parts, so it's designed to last, even in the harshest weather conditions. The all-terrain wheels make this generator a strong portable option. You can bring it to your camp or RV or easily store it at home and roll it out if there's a power outage. You can choose between two fuel options: gas or propane. There's also a wide variety of outlets, including a 50-amp outlet that can easily power your home's appliances and lights should you lose power. The push start button also makes it easy to power up the generator. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can get many of these generators sent to your door ASAP. You can join or start a 30-day free trial to start your shopping today. Original price: $1,249 Westinghouse's 12,500-watt generator has all the features you could want from a generator: up to 12 hours of runtime, a 6.6-gallon fuel tank and a remote start option. You can choose to run the generator with either propane or gas. There are two standard household plugs and an RV-ready plug. With over 12,000 watts, you can run your camper for days. This generator is equipped with a reliable engine that Westinghouse is known for. It has a special design that helps it last long by automatically shutting down if the oil level gets too low, preventing damage. There's also a digital screen that shows how much power the generator is producing, how often it's running and how many hours you've used it over its lifetime. Original price: $879 A Generac 3,300-watt generator is an ideal travel generator, weighing just 59.5 pounds. Whether you're camping or tailgating, this generator is a good companion. It runs quietly compared to larger models and has an easy-fill gas spout on the top. The generator can power tools, air conditioners and even small appliances for hours. You can set the generator to Economy Mode, and it'll automatically adjust engine speeds to reduce fuel consumption. You get easy-to-read LED indicators that signal if the oil level is low and if the generator is overloaded. Not only do you get two regular household outlets, but there are also two USB ports for charging your devices. Original price: $1,299 When researching, Honda generators consistently came out on top with reviewers. Honda's 2,200-watt generator is an ultra-portable model that's best used on job sites, while camping or to power select appliances at home. It weighs just under 50 pounds, so it's easy to carry, plus the quiet motor will keep your neighbors happy. To add more power, connect another generator with a cable or cord and get double the power. A single tank of gas will run the generator for just over nine hours, depending on what you're running. This model was originally developed for heavy-duty construction equipment, meaning it's especially durable and reliable. Original price: $299 Charge all your devices no matter where you are with an Anker SOLIX C300 power station. This mini power station has multiple USB ports, a car socket and multiple regular household plugs. Designed to be travel-friendly, you can attach a strap (sold separately) or just carry the lightweight station from place to place. You can charge your Anker power station using a compatible 100-watt Anker solar panel. Should you choose to recharge with a wall outlet, you get 80% battery in just 50 minutes. You can also charge the power station using a car port. Designed to last, this Anker power station can last for a decade or 3,000 cycles. Original price: $829 Champion is another popular brand of generators, and rightfully so. This 4,500-watt Champion generator has an impressive 14-hour runtime on just 2.3 gallons of gas. Plus, it's a quieter generator, which is great for campgrounds or anyone who lives close to their neighbors. You can monitor the voltage and operating hours using the Power Meter on the front panel. There's also an auto shut-off system when carbon monoxide is detected, and an economy mode that conserves fuel. You can get even more power when you pair the generator with a parallel kit. It enables the inverter to connect to another 2,800-watt (or higher) Champion inverter, so you can more than double your power. Original price: $639.99 The Wen 8,000-watt generator is a durable, mid-tier model that provides plenty of wattage to run your home during a power outage. It has an electric start function that turns on the engine with a single press of a switch. The 6.7-gallon gas tank gives you 10.5 hours of ongoing power. Wen's dual-fuel design allows you to use both gasoline and propane, although using propane will reduce your wattage from 8,000 to 7,200 surge watts. An important safety feature included is the CO Shutdown Sensor. It automatically shuts off the generator if it detects dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Original price: $2,199.99 Yamaha has a 5,500-watt generator with an electric start. Yamaha improved this model, so it now has a 13% longer runtime than previous versions. You get up to nine hours of continuous operation on a full tank of fuel. This is a rugged model with all-terrain wheels and fold-down locking handles. There's a CO sensor that automatically shuts the generator off when high carbon monoxide is detected. The generator will also shut off when the oil level gets too low, helping to prevent engine damage. For more Deals, visit Original price: $519.85 For an affordable, high-watt generator, the Sportsman gas-powered 4,000-watt generator fits the bill. It can run for 10 hours with a 50% load and a full 3.6 gallons of gas. You get four 120-volt outlets, a 120-volt RV outlet and a 12-volt DC outlet. Due to its small size and easy portability, the Sportsman is best for campers who like to run TVs, small refrigerators, stoves and other small appliances. The unit will detect when oil levels are low and shut down. This generator is on the louder size, so make sure there's plenty of room between you and your neighbors. Understanding the world of generators can be complex. To get you started, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions shoppers wonder about when looking for a generator. The right generator size depends on what you're using it for. You can get away with smaller generators with a few hundred or thousand watts if you're using it to power a few small appliances or a TV while camping. If you're using it as a backup in case the power goes out, many homes can operate on upwards of 5,000 watts. Larger homes need more power, so a 12,000 or 13,000-watt generator may be better. The generators we included on this list can run for up to half a day on a full tank of gas. Many run between eight and 15 hours, depending on the size of their fuel tank. Some of the most well-known and highly-rated generator brands include Honda, Yamaha, Champion and Anker. Honda tends to be sought after the most, with the others following close behind.
