The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday unveiled plans to spend $20 million on research into the production of clean hydrogen from nuclear power. The money will help pay for a demonstration project by PNW Hydrogen at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Phoenix. DOE’s funding announcement comes amid growing interest by the Biden administration and the utility sector in the potential large-scale use of clean hydrogen to reduce carbon emissions. - Utility Dive

The US Air Force is installing a nuclear micro-reactor at Eielson AFB, located 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. Authorized by the Department of the Air Force, the commercially-owned next-generation reactor is scheduled to go into operation by 2027. The US military operates bases and other installations located in remote, inaccessible regions – not only abroad, but also within US states and territories. Supplying these sites is often a formidable task, especially when it comes to heating and electricity. In the case of Eielson, this means regularly hauling in tonnes of coal to provide it with 33.5 MW of electricity. Aside from the environmental impact, it's also expensive, a logistical nightmare, and ties up personnel better employed elsewhere. This isn't unique to the Alaskan base, so the Air Force is interested in looking at nuclear energy as a cleaner and simpler alternative. - New Atlas

Renewable energy prices have fallen far more quickl than the industry anticipated, says a new report. And they are fast becoming cheaper than fossil fuels. A rapid transition to emissions-free ‘green’ energy could save many trillions of dollars in energy costs - and help combat climate change. The global energy sector has an impressive record of scaling-up renewables like wind and solar – but it is not so good at predicting future price changes of the clean energy these renewables produce, according to a new report. Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Institute of New Economic Thinking suggest early pricing prediction models have consistently underestimated both how far the costs of renewable energy sources might fall, and the benefits of an accelerated switch to clean energy. - WEForum / Oxford University

Just before Thanksgiving, the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth is expected to reach a historic milestone. All the radioactive fuel that generated electricity - and controversy - for nearly half a century will finally be removed from the reactor building. It will be stored outside in special steel and cement casks.  The rare occasion will be celebrated by both supporters and opponents of the plant. But as the decommissioning of Pilgrim proceeds, concern over the long-term safety of the highly radioactive waste continues.  Even though Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant stopped producing electricity two years ago, there are still armed guards in watchtowers, surveillance cameras spread over the site, mazes of barbed wire fences and concrete vehicle barriers. - Science Friday

People in South Carolina turn their lights on and off the same way people in Georgia do. But over the past four years, the two states have diverged dramatically in their relationship with the utilities which produce their electricity.  In Georgia, there’s been significant grassroots reaction to Georgia Power’s plans for dealing with the coal ash problem at its plants. There was a hearing last week in the now 10-year-old case in which the utility is charged with improperly charging ratepayers with fees to cover the soaring costs of its nuclear project at Plant Vogtle. Federal regulators are talking about increasing scrutiny of the way over-budget and way late nuclear expansion project.  There’s little about the way these problems are being handled that’s different from the way they would have been a decade ago. In South Carolina, on the other hand, three top executives involved in a nuclear project nearly identical to the one at Plant Vogtle have pleaded guilty to fraud charges, and a fourth was indicted last month on charges that could result in 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. The state’s largest utility has changed hands, and the cozy relationship between regulators and regulated has been roughly shaken. - Saporta Report