Hanford talk focuses on salmon, sturgeon

Salmon, sturgeon and more are the topic of the Aug. 25 edition of the Let’s Talk About Hanford series of virtual science talks.

The program is a collaboration with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and will explore the fish found in the Columbia River in the Hanford reach. It starts at 5:30 p.m. and will be available for viewing afterward.

Paul Hoffarth, a state fish biologist serving Benton and Franklin counties, will give a presentation followed by questions.

The program can be watched live on the Hanford Facebook page or by calling 415-655-0001 (access code 177 640 0158, password 84874547).

Hanford health report highlights exposure concerns

Nearly a third of more than 1,600 Hanford workers who responded to a survey reported long-term exposure to hazardous materials, according to a new report that recommends new strategies to address unmet health concerns of current and former workers.

The Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Board released its final report this summer, noting that more than 57% of workers reported being in an exposure event.

The report recommends creating an independent Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Center to serve as a clearinghouse for peer-reviewed and accepted medical and scientific literature. It would evaluate and communicate studies about Hanford-specific hazards. For incurable diseases such as chronic beryllium disease, information sharing could help find cures.

The center would promote research to increase the body of knowledge for the unique healthcare needs of the current and former Hanford work force.

Read the full report at bit.ly/HanfordHealthWorkersReport.

NuScale Power secures $200M in private capital

NuScale Power, the Portland-based small modular reactor company with an office in Richland, closed its A-5 funding round with a $152 million investment from a series of strategic partners.

The A-5 round brings the company’s total funding to support commercialization of its clean energy technology for the year to date to nearly $200 million and includes investments from GS Energy, Doosan Heavy Industry and Construction, IHI Corporation, Samsung C&T Corp., Sargent & Lundy and Sarens.

It previously closed a $40 million investment JCG Holdings Corp.

Since 2007, NuScale has invested hundreds of millions to develop and commercialize its scalable reactor technology, with private investments and cost-sharing awards from the U.S. Department of Energy.

It has hit several key milestones in the past year.

In August 2020, NuScale received the first-ever design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In July 2021, the NRC published the proposed rule that would certify the NuScale design – a crucial step toward the construction and deployment of SMR technology.

Fluor Corp. is NuScale’s majority investor.

Its factory-fabricated reactors generate 77 megawatts of electricity using pressurized water reactor technology. Its plants can house up to four, six or 12 individual modules.