California Proposed Legislation Would Crack Open State’s Anti-Nuclear Moratorium
Deployable Energy Inks R&D Texas A&M for Microreactors
Philippines, US in $4.2M Deal to Expand Civil Nuclear Cooperation
U.S. Plans to Offer Saudi Arabia a 123 Agreement
California Proposed Legislation Would Crack Open State’s Anti-Nuclear Moratorium
Rep. Lisa Calderon Introduces Legislation to Modernize California’s Nuclear Moratorium and Accelerate Climate Goals
Assembly member Lisa Calderon (D-56th District) has introduced a pivotal piece of legislation designed to update California’s decades-old nuclear moratorium to include advanced reactor technology.
By clarifying that the state’s ban on new nuclear plants does not apply to modern designs licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) after January 1, 2005, the bill seeks to provide California with every available tool to meet its ambitious mandate of a carbon-neutral economy by 2045.
The proposed legislation comes as California enters a critical phase of its clean energy transition. Under Executive Order N-33-25, the state aims to run on 90% clean electricity by 2035 and 100% by 2045. The legislative proposal does not mandate new nuclear investment but instead removes long-standing regulatory barriers, allowing utilities, businesses, and policymakers to consider advanced nuclear power as a reliable, zero-emission component of a diversified energy portfolio.
Calderon said, “Keeping advanced nuclear on the table is essential for the long-term, reliable clean energy strategy California needs,” the fact sheet states, noting that the current moratorium is based on reactor designs from the 1950s and 1960s
Bridging the Gap with Advanced Technology
Existing California law currently prohibits the Energy Commission from certifying most nuclear fission plants, a restriction that fails to account for the “advanced nuclear reactors” defined in the federal Energy Act of 2020. These modern designs offer significant improvements in standardization, fuel management, and safety compared to the fleet currently in operation.
Unlike traditional plants, advanced reactors include both fission designs with significant technical improvements and nuclear fusion technology. Proponents of the bill argue that multiple viable pathways for fuel storage now exist, and these should no longer prevent California from expanding its clean energy capacity.
Nuclear Energy’s Role in Global Decarbonization
Nuclear energy remains the United States’ largest source of clean power, accounting for nearly 20% of the nation’s electricity and avoiding over 470 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The international community has similarly pivoted toward the technology; at the COP28 summit, the United States joined over 20 nations in a pledge to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050.
California’s move to modernize its restrictions follows a growing national trend. At least five other states have already repealed or modified similar nuclear moratoria, recognizing that outdated 20th-century regulations are incompatible with 21st-century climate goals.
Diverse Coalition of Support
AB XXXX is backed by a broad coalition of labor, environmental, and academic organizations, including:
State Building and Construction Trades Council of California
UC Berkeley Nuclear is Clean Energy (NiCE)
The Breakthrough Institute and the Oppenheimer Project
Californians for Green Nuclear Power and Stand Up for Nuclear
Native Nuclear and North American Young Generation in Nuclear
Supporters of the bill say that “by modernizing the state’s approach to nuclear fission, AB XXXX ensures that California remains a leader in climate innovation while securing a stable and carbon-free energy future.”
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Deployable Energy Inks R&D Texas A&M for Microreactors
Deployable Energy Announces Research Agreement with Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station to Advance Scalable Microreactor Technology
Deployable Energy announced a new research partnership with Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), formalizing a multi-year collaboration that will enable streamlined future regulatory activities. This partnership strengthens the development of a nuclear-ready workforce in the state of Texas by developing expertise in experimental validation, modeling, manufacturing and siting. Texas continues to lead among states in its commitment to commercializing advanced nuclear energy.
The research program will focus on supporting first-of-a-kind deployments. These series of thermal-hydraulic tests are designed to validate power output at nominal and off-nominal conditions, transient response and passive cooldown characteristics that are central to Deployable Energy’s reactor design and safety. The resulting data will support model validation, regulatory confidence and future system scaling.
The company said in its press statement that the “agreement underscores Deployable Energy’s commitment to rigorous engineering, safety-driven design and partnerships with leading research institutions as the company advances next-generation energy solutions for remote, industrial and maritime applications.”
The research will be supervised by Dr. Yassin A. Hassan, professor of nuclear engineering and mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University and director of the Center for Advanced Small Modular and Microreactors, an internationally recognized expert in thermal-hydraulics and reactor systems.
Hassan emphasized the significance of the technology under development. “Deployable Energy’s technology is groundbreaking in its elegance for utilizing the existing supply chain while enhancing performance and safety,” he said. “It is intentionally designed to scale, and this research program allows us to generate the experimental foundation needed to support that vision.”
About Deployable Energy
Deployable Energy builds microreactors designed for real-world operations. Our systems are engineered for rapid deployment, simple operation, and reliable power where traditional infrastructure can’t reach
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Philippines, US in $4.2M Deal to Expand Civil Nuclear Cooperation
The Philippines is gaining more support from the United States in its goal of integrating nuclear power into the national energy mix in the next six years as it sealed $4.2 million worth of deals with US companies.
Government agencies and private companies from the Philippines and the US on entered into memoranda of understanding which are aimed at exploring deployment of nuclear technology and supporting nuclear workforce development in the country.
“The Philippine Energy Plan sets clear direction for an energy future — 1,200 megawatts (MW)by 2032. And that is not moving until somebody tells us that it’s impossible,” Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said in her speech during the signing ceremony in Makati City.
“These targets demand preparation, anchored in discipline, safety, and capacity. As we pursue energy security and a responsible transition, we must invest in our people as deliberately as we invest in infrastructure,” she added.
Under the Philippine Energy Plan, the country aims to integrate nuclear energy into the power mix with at least 1,200 MW of capacity by 2032, rising to 2,400 MW by 2045 and to 4,800 MW by 2050.
“We want to work together to get the Philippines to the finish line on nuclear energy,” Ann K. Ganzer, principal deputy assistant secretary at the US Department of State’s Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, said.
“Beyond acquiring the technology and establishing robust regulations, to achieve that 2032 goal, the most vital elements will be assessing sites for commercial reactors and developing the skilled workforce needed to design, construct, operate, regulate and sustain advanced nuclear plants for generations to come,” she added.
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest private electric distribution utility, secured a $2.7 million grant from the United States Trade and Development Agency to help the company assess and deploy US-designed small modular reactors (SMRs) in the Philippines.
Meralco will pursue a feasibility study which involves an evaluation of leading US technologies, identification of viable sites, and delivery of a high-level implementation roadmap.
The US State Department’s Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Reactor Technology Program involves the installation of a $1.5 million nuclear reactor control room simulator at a technical institution within the planned Luzon Economic Corridor.
The simulator will provide hands-on realistic training for future reactor operators, which is aimed at positioning the Philippines as an SMR regional training hub.
Several private companies and government agencies also contributed $2.5 million to bring US nuclear experts to the Philippines to develop specialized vocational and higher education curricula focused on the civil nuclear industry.
The partnership includes Aboitiz Power Corp., US-based integrated energy solutions firm EoS Organization, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the US Department of State led by Fulbright Philippines.
In 2024, the Philippines and the US inked an agreement for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, commonly known as a “123 Agreement.”
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U.S. Plans to Offer Saudi Arabia a 123 Agreement
In an exclusive report, the Reuters wire service revealed on 02/202/6 that President Donald Trump has told Congress he is pursuing a civil nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia that does not include non-proliferation safeguards the U.S. has long said would ensure the kingdom does not develop nuclear weapons, according to a copy of the document sent to Congress and reviewed by Reuters. However, the document opens the way to Saudi Arabia having an uranium enrichment program.
According to Reuters arms control groups and many Democrats and some leading Republicans have insisted that any agreement come with guardrails, including that Saudi Arabia not have the ability to enrich uranium or to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, potential pathways to weapons, demands also made by successive U.S. administrations.
They also insist that Saudi Arabia agree to the so-called Additional Protocol that grants the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency broad and more intrusive oversight of a country’s nuclear activities, such as the power to carry out snap inspections at undeclared locations.
Reuters revealed that The Trump administration sent an initial report to leaders on some congressional committees in November, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.,
Trump’s report to Congress says that the draft U.S.-Saudi pact on civil nuclear, known as a 123 Agreement, puts the U.S. industry at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s civil nuclear development, ensuring nuclear-proliferation safeguards are in place.
Reuters noted that the Trump administration could submit the 123 Agreement to Congress as soon as this week. Congress has 90 days to review it. Unless both the Senate and the U.S. House pass resolutions opposing the 123 Agreement within 90 days, it would go into effect and allow Saudi Arabia a civil nuclear program.
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