Updated

Updated · Heatmap · Jun 23

Energy Department Unveils $17.5 Billion Loans for 10 AP1000 Reactors as 7 Utilities Enter Talks

Updated

Updated · Heatmap · Jun 23

Energy Department Unveils $17.5 Billion Loans for 10 AP1000 Reactors as 7 Utilities Enter Talks

Q: As the U.S. plans ten new reactors, where will the resulting nuclear waste be permanently stored?

There is no permanent U.S. storage site currently operating for the waste from these planned reactors. For now, the spent fuel from any new AP1000 units would almost certainly follow the same path as existing U.S. nuclear waste: it would be stored at reactor sites, initially in spent-fuel pools and later in dry casks. That is the system already used across dozens of sites nationwide, and it is considered interim storage rather than permanent disposal. The long-discussed federal repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada remains stalled. Although it was designated in law as the national repository, the project has been effectively frozen for years and has never opened. Even if revived, experts note it would face major political, legal and capacity challenges. The Energy Department is instead pursuing broader waste-management options, including consent-based siting for future facilities, possible consolidated interim storage, and renewed interest in recycling or reprocessing used fuel. But none of those approaches has yet produced an operational permanent repository. So the practical answer is that the waste from the 10 new reactors does not yet have a permanent destination. Until the U.S. establishes one, it will remain stored temporarily at plant sites or, if developed and legally available, at interim storage facilities.

3 articles · Updated · Heatmap · Jun 23

$17.5 billion in low-interest Energy Department loans would back up to 10 Westinghouse AP1000 reactors across five U.S. sites, with utilities and Westinghouse jointly owning the plants.
The buildout targets roughly 11 gigawatts of near-constant zero-carbon power, using a standardized bulk order to cut costs and reduce the timing mismatches that plagued Georgia's Vogtle project.
Five loans are expected to be available, and the department is already in discussions with seven utilities as the Trump administration pushes a large-reactor strategy instead of long-hyped small modular designs.
If completed, the fleet would rank among the biggest state-assisted U.S. clean-power expansions in years, though the reactors are not expected to come online until 2035.

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Heatmap24d ago

Energy Department Unveils $17.5 Billion Loan for 10 New Nuclear Reactors

The New York Times24d ago

Energy Department Announces $17.5 Billion Loans for Nuclear Power Plant Components

Reuters25d ago

US announces $17.5 billion in conditional loans for nuclear power | Reuters

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U.S. Commits $17.5 Billion for 10 New Nuclear Reactors: Powering AI, Strengthening Energy Security, Competing Globally

Overview

On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $17.5 billion commitment in low-cost loans to support the construction of up to 10 new nuclear reactors across the country. This major investment is part of a larger $80 billion public-private partnership involving key industry players like Westinghouse Electric Company, Cameco Corporation, and Brookfield Asset Management, who began collaborating in 2025. The initiative aims to strengthen the nation’s nuclear energy infrastructure, accelerate advanced reactor deployment, and ensure the U.S. meets rising electricity demand while maintaining energy security and technological leadership.

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