A Californian startup, Marathon Fusion, aims to produce gold through nuclear fusion by converting mercury-198 into gold-197 using neutron radiation from fusion reactors. Unlike particle accelerators like CERN’s Large Hadron Collider—which produce negligible amounts of gold at enormous costs—Marathon Fusion proposes using a standard fusion reactor fuel mix (deuterium and tritium) to create the necessary neutron flux, theoretically enabling substantial gold production. Their estimates, derived from a fusion reactor’s “digital twin,” suggest a plant could yield several tons of gold annually per gigawatt of thermal power. However, the feasibility of this process remains untested, as no commercial fusion reactors exist, and the gold produced would initially be radioactive, requiring careful management. Significant scientific, technological, and economic challenges must be addressed before this ambitious concept can lead to a modern-day gold rush.
Tag: nuclear power
Radioactive Wasp Nest Discovered Near South Carolina Nuclear Weapon Facility
A radioactive wasp nest has been discovered near a former nuclear weapon manufacturing facility in South Carolina.
The nest was found by workers at the Savannah River Site in Aiken County, according to a report from the Department of Energy.
According to reports, the contaminated nest was found on July 3, just before 2 p.m., by Radiological Control Operations workers during routine inspections.
Located on a stanchion near a tank in the F-Area tank farm, the nest registered a staggering 100,000 disintegrations per minute (dpm), a level described as “moderately high” radiation.
Workers promptly sprayed the nest to eliminate the wasps, which were then bagged and disposed of as radiological waste.
The Associated Press reports:
The report said there is no leak from the waste tanks, and the nest was likely radioactive through what it called “onsite legacy radioactive contamination” from the residual radioactivity left from when the site was fully operational.
The watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch said the report was at best incomplete since it doesn’t detail where the contamination came from, how the wasps might have encountered it and the possibility there could be another radioactive nest if there is a leak somewhere.
Knowing the type of wasp nest could also be critical — some wasps make nest out of dirt and others use different material which could pinpoint where the contamination came from, Tom Clements, executive director of the group, wrote in a text message.
Thankfully, no contamination was detected in the surrounding ground or area, but the very presence of radioactive insects highlights the persistent threats from “onsite legacy contamination” tied to the site’s history of producing plutonium and tritium for nuclear bombs during the Cold War era.
“I’m as mad as a hornet that SRS didn’t explain where the radioactive waste came from or if there is some kind of leak from the waste tanks that the public should be aware of,” Clements told AP.
Bombing Iran: From the Libya Model to the North Korea Model
Before the U.S. struck Iran’s civilian nuclear facilities in an unprovoked and illegal bombing, a diplomatic settlement to the nuclear standoff was on the table. Retired ambassador and former Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyed Hossein Mousavian says that he has been told by an informed Iranian source that “the key elements of the deal between [Trump’s special envoy] Witkoff and [Iran’s foreign minister] Araghchi were agreed upon.”
“Iran would accept maximum nuclear inspections and transparency,” including implementing the International Atomic Energy Agency Additional Protocol. They would either convert or export their stockpile of 60% enriched uranium, cease high-level enrichment and cap their enrichment at the 3.67% needed for a civilian energy program. Finally, Iran would fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in resolving any outstanding technical ambiguities. In return, Iran would be permitted to have its civilian nuclear program, and the U.S. would lift all nuclear-related sanctions.
Such a deal would satisfy Iran’s demand to exercise its “inalienable right to a civilian [nuclear] program” and America’s demand to ensure that Iran’s program never become weaponized. But before it could be signed, U.S. President Donald Trump succumbed to pressure and undermined the talks by demanding the Libya model. That demand killed any hope for a diplomatic resolution.
The Libya model is code for zero enrichment and the complete abandonment of Iran’s civilian nuclear program: a demand that Iran will never agree to.
Ukraine nuclear power plant alert as ALL external electricity cables helping keep reactor fuel cool go DOWN
All external power lines supplying electricity to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP ) in Ukraine were down on Friday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said.
Ukraine has blamed Russian shelling for severing the last power line at the plant, which is not operating but still requires electricity to keep its nuclear fuel cool and radiation levels safe.
The power plant, Europe’s biggest, has switched to running on diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
The IAEA has repeatedly warned of the risk of a catastrophic accident at Zaporizhzhia, which is located near the front line in the war in Ukraine.
Its six reactors are shut down, but the nuclear fuel inside them still needs to be cooled, which requires constant power.
‘Ukraine’s ZNPP lost all off-site power at 17:36 today, 9th time during military conflict and first since late 2023,’ the IAEA said on X.
‘The ZNPP currently relies on power from its emergency diesel generators, underlining (the) extremely precarious nuclear safety situation.’
Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galuschenko, wrote on Telegram that a Russian strike had cut the plant off.
‘The enemy struck the power line connecting the temporarily occupied (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant) with the integrated power system of Ukraine.’
Blue states with net-zero emissions goals consider nuclear as hopes for 100% wind and solar fade
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), Monday directed the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop and construct a nuclear power plant of not less than one gigawatt. The new plant was needed, Hochul said in her announcement, in order “to support a reliable and affordable electric grid, while providing the necessary zero-emission electricity to achieve a clean energy economy.”
It was a surprising announcement for a state that closed and dismantled the Indian Point nuclear power plant only five years ago. The consideration of nuclear in the energy mix is part of a pattern seen in other blue states committed to eliminating electricity generated from fossil fuels. California has now delayed the closure of its only nuclear power plant, and Michigan is looking to restart a previously shuttered nuclear power plant.
In all three cases, it appears that the states are coming to grips with the reality that intermittent wind and solar backed up by short-duration, expensive grid-scale batteries won’t be enough to supply the power needs of the state, especially as AI places more demands on the grid. Still clinging to the hope of a fossil fuel-free grid, these states are looking to nuclear as a more politically tenable option.
The Next Energy Revolution Is Coming. Is The DOE Ready?
The last energy revolution that changed the world — natural gas fracking — happened in part thanks to the Department of Energy (DOE). Early R&D funding, support for horizontal drilling, and key public-private partnerships helped fracking get off the ground and turn America into an energy powerhouse.
Now, we are on the cusp of another energy revolution, this time focused on the clean technologies of advanced nuclear, geothermal, natural hydrogen, and fusion. Fortunately, the United States is rich in these energy resources. The challenge with these technologies isn’t a lack of supply; it’s the speed and scale at which we can bring this energy online.
American innovators and entrepreneurs are ready to deliver solutions, but outdated bureaucracy and inefficiency within the DOE threaten to delay progress. With a leader like Secretary Chris Wright, who brings real-world experience from the private sector, the DOE has an opportunity to once again become a force multiplier for energy innovation — if it embraces smart, structural reforms.
Here’s where the DOE can start.
1. Streamline Contracting and Applications
The DOE’s current application and contracting process is burdensome and redundant. Companies often face unnecessary delays just trying to navigate paperwork, such as being required to secure community benefits agreements or labor partnerships before the technology in question is even commercially viable. To make matters worse, organizations must submit separate applications for each DOE program or office, even when pursuing similar goals.
The DOE can address this issue by standardizing applications across the department, eliminating duplicative requirements, and leveraging modern tools like AI to automate non-critical aspects of the process. These changes would increase efficiency, lower barriers to new entrants, and accelerate the introduction of transformative technologies to market.
2. Cut NEPA Red Tape — Where DOE Has Authority
While protecting the environment and holding polluters accountable is an essential role for the government, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been weaponized to stall or block critical energy projects. While the DOE does not have full control over NEPA’s broader structure, and Congress should seriously consider repealing this outdated law, DOE does have discretion over how NEPA is applied to its programs and supported projects.
One key opportunity is for DOE to expand the use of categorical exclusions — designations for projects that do not significantly impact the environment and therefore do not require full-scale environmental assessments. This is especially important for new energy technologies that haven’t yet reached commercial scale or environmental risk.
DOE can also streamline internal review timelines, accelerate grant negotiations, and release funding as soon as projects meet agreed-upon milestones. These kinds of administrative reforms are entirely within DOE’s control and could make a real difference in the pace of deployment.
The truth behind Trump’s bombings and the huge Iran secret kept from the world that’s hoodwinked all of America
Two days before American B-2 stealth bombers dropped the biggest payload of explosives since World War II on Iran, trucks were seen lining up outside the primary target at Fordow.
Satellite images showed scores of cargo vehicles outside a tunnel entrance to Iran’s key nuclear base inside a mountain.
Donald Trump has insisted that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program was destroyed in the precision strikes, an assessment backed by the CIA and Israeli intelligence.
But there was also a frantic effort to move centrifuges and highly enriched uranium before US bombers attacked, the key question for the Pentagon now is: where did it go?
One possibility, according to experts, is a secret facility buried even deeper under another mountain 90 miles south of Fordow: ‘Mount Doom.’
In Farsi, the potential new ground zero for Iran’s nuclear program is Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, otherwise known in English as ‘Pickaxe Mountain,’ located in the Zagros Mountains in central Iran on the outskirts of one of the regime’s other nuclear sites at Natanz.
‘It is plausible that Iran moved centrifuges and highly enriched uranium (HEU) to secret or hardened locations prior to the recent strikes – including possibly to facilities near Pickaxe Mountain,’ Christoph Bluth, professor of international relations and security at the University of Bradford, told the Daily Mail.
Previous intelligence had showed ‘large tunnels being bored into the mountain, with possible infrastructure for an advanced enrichment facility,’ he claimed.
‘The site may be buried 100 meters below the surface. So it is conceivable that advanced centrifuge cascades have been hidden there, but there is no specific evidence at this time to confirm where centrifuges and fissile material has been moved to.’
The Battle over Battle Damage Assessment at Fordo
There are some questions being raised over the absolute confidence that the damage at the Fordo nuclear site in Iran was actually destroyed. A solidly reliable source of Fake News, CNN, has now assumed the role of expert “Battle Damage Assessor”. Anyone can be a Battle Damage Assessor – it is very similar to being a “Sniper Profiler” in the 2002 Washington D.C. Sniper Episode – a conveyor belt of “Sniper Profilers” appeared out of nowhere flooding the airwaves with commentary and descriptions that proved to be wildly inaccurate.
CNN reported on their view of the Battle Damage Assessment (BDA):
“The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by seven people briefed on it.
The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources said.”
CNN continued on:
“Two of the people familiar with the assessment said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges are largely “intact.” Another source said that the intelligence assessed enriched uranium was moved out of the sites prior to the US strikes.
“So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,” this person added.”
Karoline Leavitt responded like a flamethrower against CNN:
“This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community. The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”
There are several matters that come to mind with the contrived effort of CNN to assert themselves as the self-appointed Gatekeepers of truth for BDA.
Claims Swirl Over Extent Of Damage From Attacks On Iranian Nuclear Facilities
There are new claims saying Iran’s nuclear program was “badly damaged” in attacks by Israel and the U.S. These differ from earlier published reports that the strikes had a limited effect, highlighting the precarious nature of parsing through preliminary assessments.
Wednesday afternoon, CIA John Radcliffe said that his agency “can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes,” according to a public statement. “This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years. CIA continues to collect additional reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision-makers and oversight bodies fully informed. When possible, we will also provide updates and information to the American public, given the national importance of this matter and in every attempt to provide transparency.”
Radcliffe’s analysis follows statements from Israeli intelligence officials on Wednesday said that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities have caused “very significant” and “long-term damage,” according to Israeli media reports. Iran also confirmed its sights were “badly damaged.” Those assessments are in line with what U.S. President Donald Trump has said. At the same time, they differ significantly from U.S. media reports citing a now-confirmed preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report stating that Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. attack on Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, had limited results. Experts in the non-proliferation community are also giving their takes on the state of Iran’s nuclear program, some of which are conflicting and even Iran has chimed in.
Clearly this issue is highly politicized at this point and there are many agendas at play when it comes to propagating specific narratives surrounding it. These range from political motivations to state-sponsored disinformation. Unless there are trusted moles with actual access to these sites — or who have direct knowledge from those who do — within the Iranian government, and only if Iran has even gained access into critical areas themselves, conclusions can only be made in a preliminary fashion based on very limited information. Even intercepted intelligence can be falsified in order to throw foreign assessments off. Intelligence reports, as a practice, also range in confidence, and it’s unlikely the confidence is extremely high this soon after the attack. So maybe the B-2’s didn’t have the desired effect and maybe they destroyed huge amounts of critical nuclear infrastructure and materials. It’s still not very clear and conclusions in key intelligence products can change drastically based on new information.
Regardless, here is the state of play of the battle damage assessment situation as it sat prior to the CIA report. You can also catch up with our past reporting about the Israel-Iran conflict here.
Where Is Iran’s Uranium? Top Secret Leaked US Intel Says Core Nuclear Components ‘Intact’
Where is Iran’s Uranium? Truce Highlights Mystery Over Stockpile… that’s Bloomberg’s latest headline over the ‘biggest mystery’ that remains in the war. There’s also the pressing question of whether Trump’s massive airstrikes from B-2 bombers actually truly destroyed the facilities and these stockpiles.
The Iranians aren’t dumb, and likely took drastic steps to further protect, conceal, or likely move these enriched stockpiles – some 400kg according to most reports – as wave after wave of Israeli warplanes hit Iran, significantly before the US sent its bombers this past weekend. It appears core components are still intact – though Iran has long maintained it is merely for peaceful nuclear energy development.
The NY Times is currently reporting that the US operation merely set Iran’s nuclear program back by a few months. And further:
US BOMBS DIDN’T COLLAPSE UNDERGROUND IRANIAN NUKE BUILDINGS: NYT
Big media allegations, based on US officials and an intel assessment, that the Iranians moved their enriched uranium.
Hellbound and Down 
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