Fresh off its selection for the Energy Department's Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, Aalo Atomics has closed a $100 million Series B funding round to support the deployment of its 10-megawatt Aalo-X sodium-cooled experimental microreactor plant at Idaho National Laboratory by mid-2026. CEO and co-founder Matt Loszak also revealed plans for an experimental data center co-located with the Aalo-X to demonstrate how advanced nuclear can directly power AI infrastructure. Aalo's factory-first, modular approach allows components to be trucked to the site and assembled quickly, a strategy designed to shorten timelines and lower costs compared with traditional nuclear builds, Loszak noted.

Walmart has pulled three lots of Great Value frozen raw shrimp from stores in 13 states after the FDA found traces of Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipments from Indonesia. The agency is investigating how the contamination entered the supply chain and urged consumers to discard or return the products.

South Korea's presidential office has launched a probe into a deal between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Westinghouse that critics say imposes heavy costs and curbs Seoul's nuclear export freedom. The settlement, struck to resolve an intellectual property dispute, requires KHNP to pay $825 million per reactor in contracts and licensing fees and seek Westinghouse approval before bidding on future projects. The backlash has triggered a sell-off in nuclear-related stocks and could complicate nuclear energy cooperation discussions at next week's US-Korea summit.

SHINE Technologies is building the Chrysalis facility in Janesville, Wis., to produce molybdenum-99, a key isotope for medical imaging, with production expected within two to three years. The facility will use a fusion-driven process to create Mo-99, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign sources and improve supply stability.

NERC's 2025 Reliability Risk Priorities report outlines six core themes currently driving grid risk: the addition of new large loads, increasingly widespread reliability events, rising interdependence between the gas and power sectors, growing cyber and physical security complexities, persistent supply chain challenges and volatile energy policy. The report emphasizes that these simultaneously emerging factors require the power industry to rethink traditional planning and operating approaches to maintain grid reliability.

The US faces a significant shortage of power and distribution transformers, with demand surging 116% and 41%, respectively, since 2019, according to a Wood Mackenzie report. Imports are expected to account for 80% of power transformer supplies next year, which may result in higher costs and project delays. "Transformer costs are expected to increase due to new tariffs, as both imported and domestically produced units will be subject to higher unit costs due to the wide array of new tariffs," said Wood Mackenzie's Ben Bouche.

ASP Isotopes' Quantum Leap Subsidiary has teamed up with Fermi America to evaluate building a Texas facility that would produce high-assay, low-enriched uranium using laser enrichment technology. The facility would also handle conversion, deconversion and fuel assembly fabrication, creating a domestic source of material essential for next-generation reactors.

Hindustan Zinc, India's largest zinc producer, signaled interest in bidding for uranium blocks if the government opens the sector to private players. India's government is reportedly considering ending its longstanding monopoly over the nuclear sector by allowing private companies to mine, import and process uranium. "We will get into atomic minerals and especially uranium because the country needs it," said Hindustan CEO Arun Misra.