Eight small businesses have been chosen to receive a share of a $2 million pilot project to help them access the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) nuclear energy-related knowledge and capabilities under the department’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative. world-nuclear-news.org

The retrieval of mixed waste from the underground chambers at the decommissioned Berkeley nuclear power plant in the UK is progressing. Clearance of these vaults will enable the two Magnox units to enter a period of long-term passive storage. world-nuclear-news.org

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has announced $82 million for nuclear energy projects in 28 states as part of the government’s plan to reduce carbon emissions. abcnews.go.com

Environmental groups in New Jersey lost their bid to force PSEG Nuclear to build two expensive cooling towers for the company’s Salem Unit 1 and Unit 2 reactors in Hancocks Bridge, N.J., as the state’s department of environmental protection granted the company a five-year permit to continue with their current open-loop cooling system that draws 3 billion gallons of water per day from the Delaware River. nuclearstreet.com