Summer Inside NIRMA Issue

Inside
Leading the way in Nuclear Information and Records Management
Keynote Speaker,
Erin Hultman
Shares NEI’s View
of Nuclear Energy
During NIRMA
Symposium
magazine
Visit us at: NIRMA.org
Microfilm’s Second Life
nextScan
Message from the Board:
Goldilocks and Nuclear Transition
Issue # 17, Summer 2023

CONTENT
4
7
8
Message from the Board: Goldilocks and Nuclear Transition
By Bob Larrivee, Director of Technical Programs
Microfilm’s Second Life
By Brad Kvederis, Marketing & Research Manager, nextScan/ST Imaging
Keynote Speaker, Erin Hultman Shares NEI’s View of Nuclear Energy
During NIRMA Symposium
5
10
13
Symposium Corner
By Bruce Walters, NIRMA Vice-President
Chronicles of NIM: A Retrospective on Information Management in
Nuclear Power
By Eugene Yang, KISMET Consulting, Inc.
SIGET: Focused on Artificial Intelligence
By Ron J. Hedges
2 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Inside NIRMA

in every issue
TREASURER REPORT—14
PDBU NEWS—16
RIMBU NEWS—18
M&MBU NEWS—19
INDUSTRY NEWS—20
Letter from the Editors
We at Inside NIRMA, value your opinion and are
always looking to improve our magazine. Let us
know what you like and dislike and what you’d
like to see more of. Share your thoughts with our
Communication Team at
DevereauxInc@outlook.com.
If you haven’t already done so,
please take a moment to follow
NIRMA on YouTube, Twitter
and Instagram, like NIRMA on
Facebook, and connect with
NIRMA on LinkedIn.
Thanks for reading. Please keep in touch!
Neal and Sandra Miller
Editors
Editors
Neal and Sandra Miller
DevereauxInc@outlook.com
Advertising
Neal.F.Miller@gmail.com
NIRMA Headquarters
Sarah Perkins
NIRMA Administrator
nirma@nirma.org
In addition to our own
articles, Inside NIRMA
publishes guest articles from
agencies and vendors. Please
be advised that the views and
opinions expressed in these
articles are those of the
authors and do not
necessarily reflect the
opinions of NIRMA or its
Board of Directors.
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 3

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
O
nce upon a time, nuclear
power stations were large
stationary facilities where all
the information, records, and
data were collected, classified, and
maintained. This required personnel
like Goldilocks, the Records
Manager, to be onsite to capture,
manage, store, retrieve, archive, and
destroy information and records in
accordance with regulatory and legal
guidelines.
Today, there are huge volumes of
information and data being collected
in various ways from stationary
nuclear power generation facilities.
This data could come from sources
like digital sensors, other systems,
mobile devices, web interfaces, and
more. Even large format drawing and
x-rays are part of this mix, making
information and process
management a growing challenge. As
we like to say, the present is past, the
future is now. In the case of nuclear
power, we are seeing the emergence
of Small Modular Reactors (SMR),
designed to be much smaller in size
for deployment in many locations –
even transportable on a tractor
trailer.
The question for Goldilocks to
ask is, what information will need to
Goldilocks and Nuclear Transition
By Bob Larrivee
be captured in addition to the current
set, how will these impact
information management processes
as in how Goldilocks will capture the
information and manage the
processes related to not only the
smaller stationary nuclear power
generation units, but also those
which are mobile and transportable?
Additionally, many energy
corporations are seeking ways to
expand production and sales of
hydrogen, the by-product of nuclear
power generation. This then begs the
question of who will be responsible
to capture that information and
defining exactly how this impacts
information and process
management by the nuclear
information professionals. Or does
it?
In Our View
Technology development today for
the commercial use of nuclear power
generations promises to bring about
a new age in information and data
capture. It also presents challenges in
the processes used to capture and
manage information as well as data
protection. We have a good handle
on how to protect data once
captured and stored, but what of the
transmission of the data from an
SMR to a central information
management facility?
Perhaps there will be onsite
information managers at each SMR,
but what then of the mobile
reactors? And looking at the future
from a more universal view,
questioning what will be required of
Goldilocks when nuclear power
generation takes place on the Moon
and Mars.
The time is now to be aware of
tomorrow’s technology and prepare
for how your organization can
incorporate it securely and
productively. Information
professionals, like Goldilocks, must
not look at their worlds in the
present with the approach that this
plant is too big, this plant is too
small, and this plant is just right.
There must be a broader view that
there can be, and should be
standardized methods, practices, and
information that is captured
regardless of size and portability.
We encourage you to join us in
August for the NIRMA 23
Symposium in Las Vegas. There you
will find answers to some questions
and learn to question some answers.
Additionally, you will continue to
meet other information management
professionals, build your network of
contacts, and exchange ideas on how
to best plan, for the future. The
educational sessions cover a variety
of topics ranging from basic records
management practices, to using the
NIRMA technical guidelines in your
current practices, to what the future
holds in relation to incorporating
Artificial Intelligence (AI) into your
information management ecosystem.
We look forward to seeing you at
the Symposium and the opportunity
to discuss the exciting and expanding
world of nuclear information and
records management.
4 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Inside NIRMA

t
he 2023 Nuclear Information Management
Symposium (August 7-9) and Business
Unit / SIGET Meetings (August 10) at the
spectacular JW Marriott Resort and Spa in Las
Vegas, Nevada are just weeks away.
Once again, we have a mixture of seasoned
(mature) and brand-new (vibrant) speakers and topics
lined up for you. This year we will have international
participation from the United Arab Emirates, Japan,
and Korea. Shall we preview the Keynotes? But of
course.
Ms. Erin Hultman with Nuclear Energy Institute
(NEI) is our kickoff Keynote speaker addressing NEI’s
view on the bright outlook for nuclear energy in the
U.S. and the world.
Mr. Sadamaro Yamashita with NRM Holdings in
Tokyo, Japan, will once again join NIRMA to address
the revival of nuclear energy in Japan and their new
digital Regulatory Information Management (RIM)
system.
Mr. Eric Williams with TerraPower will address
insight into their Natrium Small Modular Reactors.
General sessions will include:
• Decommissioning Report from SONGS
• Nuclear Information Technology Strategic
Leadership (NITSL) / NIRMA – Bad Day in SQA
and Impact to Nuclear Power
• Numerous standard fundamentals sessions,
including Electronic Records, Document Control,
Records Management, and Federal Regulations
• Special Interest Group for Emerging Technologies
(SIGET) sessions
• Numerous Domestic and International Case
Studies
• Configuration Management – in Korea and
Configuration Management Benchmarking Group
(CMBG) 4 th element to 3-ball diagram
• Nuclear Quality Assurance Audit
• Electronic / Digital Signatures Benchmarking
• Utilities and Government Updates &
Benchmarking
• Assisting Litigation – favorable outcomes due to
Information Governance (IG) & RIM
• Digital Transformation and Nuclear Utilities
• Successful Succession Planning, Leave a Legacy
• Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM)
Panel Discussion
• and so many more.
Following the sessions, we will have a Welcome
Reception on Monday, August 7 and the Exhibitor
Hall Reception will be going strong on Tuesday,
August 8. All are part of your paid registrations, as
well as membership dues for 2024.
Registration for the Symposium and hotel
reservation links are available here. We encourage you
to come for our 47 th gathering. Once again, the
Symposium will be well worth your while to attend.
NIRMA23
Symposium
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 5

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Microfilm’s Second Life
F
or almost 10 years,
Micrographics Data Pte Ltd.
has been an authorized
reseller of ST Imaging
microfilm readers in the Southeast
Asia region – a relationship that
dates all the way back to the
ViewScan I. More recently, they
came aboard as a nextScan
distributor for their home country of
Singapore. It’s been a productive
partnership to be sure, but probably
the most interesting thing about
them is actually the opposite of what
we do. Micrographics Data (MD) is
one of just a few companies in the
world that is actively helping create
new microfilm.
You didn’t misread that! Right
now, in 2023, people are still making
microfilm – actual, physical rolls of
microfilm – and what’s more,
according to MD Head of Business
Development, Kelvin Ong, they’re
making lots of it.
To be sure, the microfilm scene
today is nothing like its heyday in the
1970s and ‘80s, when everything went
Digital Archive Writer, MD AW3
on film as the mass storage media of
choice. When Kelvin’s father, Mr
Samuel Ong, got into the business in
1989, he was just in time to catch the
tail end of the film era and the
beginning of the digital age. The big
difference between then and now,
the younger Ong says, is that people
are a lot more selective about what
needs to go on microfilm.
“Before computers, your default
format for storing the information
that you used every day was either
film or paper, and film took up a lot
less space,” he explains. “Today, you
would never use film for day-to-day
access. But for long-term, sometimes
generational storage, it’s still
unmatched. Modern LE-500
microfilm, stored under controlled
conditions, has a life expectancy of
up to 500 years, and there’s just no
digital equivalent of that.”
Many of Micrographics Data’
biggest customers are,
unsurprisingly, government agencies
with troves of important records to
preserve. Even in those cases, Kelvin
says, only perhaps 10 to 15 percent
of the documents on file are actually
deemed worthy of being transferred
to film.
The other big difference between
film then and now is the production
process itself. Making a film copy of
a piece of paper worked about the
same as taking a picture of it. Most
of today’s film has to be made from
digital files, which takes a different
kind of machine that very few
companies know how to make.
Micrographics Data began
manufacturing its own such
By Brad Kvederis,
Marketing & Research Manager
machine, called the Digital Archive
Writer, MD AW3, in an attempt to
conquer the microfilm production
market in Southeast Asia. So far,
they seem to be doing exactly that.
On top of it, they have also
manufactured digital microfilm
processors with the latest model MD
PRO3.
In fact, you could say that MD are
experts, not just in microfilm, but in
all types of document preservation.
Another arm of the company
focuses on protecting physical paper
collections in museums and libraries
– dealing in equipment for things
like climate control, mold removal
from documents, and anoxic
chambers for insect eradication.
It’s an impressive resume, and an
ideal fit for both the microfilm
readers we make at ST Imaging and
with the conversion scanners made
by nextScan. In fact, until this
February, Micrographics Data was
already selling a competitor’s
conversion scanners, but in part
thanks to our strong existing
MD PRO3
Continued on page 8.
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 7

ANNOUNCING NIRMA
Symposium Keynote Speaker:
Erin Hultman,
Nuclear Energy Institute
(NEI) Vice-President, Member
and Corporate Services, Chief
Financial Officer
E
rin Hultman is NEI’s Vice President of
Member and Corporate Services, and Chief
Financial Officer. Hultman is responsible for
NEI’s human resources and organizational
development and training activities, finance and
accounting, and investment management. She is also
NEI’s Treasurer.
Erin has over 25 years’ experience assisting nonprofit
organizations align their resource allocation to the
mission. She is a tax-exempt specialist responsible for
financial strategy, business development, and regulatory
compliance.
Prior to joining NEI, Erin served as the chief
financial officer of the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Her strong
background in association management includes work at
membership and trade organizations and as a senior
audit manager at a national public accounting firm.
Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration from James Madison University and a
Masters of Taxation from George Mason University.
She is a licensed CPA in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Ms. Hultman will discuss NEI’s view on the status
of nuclear energy in the U.S. and the world.
Continued from page 7.
relationship on the reader side, we were able to convince
them to switch to nextScan products instead (thanks to
Ninad Chavan, our APAC regional manager, for helping
bring about that change).
On a personal note, Kelvin also takes pride in the
fact that, as of this May, Micrographics Data was
recognized with Singapore’s Silver Enabling Mark, a
national accreditation for companies that use inclusive
hiring practices for the disabled. This level of the award
was presented to MD based on their practices and
outcomes in disability inclusion assessed over 6
categories:
1. Leadership, Culture and Climate
2. Recruitment Practices
3. Workplace Accessibility and Accommodations
4. Employment Practices
5. Community Engagement and Promotion
Extent of Inclusive Hiring
“Apart from the work we do at the company, we like
to try to contribute something back to society and do
some good in our world,” Kelvin says. “I like to think
that preserving history for future generations will benefit
them as well as us, and it feels good to be recognized for
doing right by our employees also.”
8 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

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was asked, one day: “Do you know any records
management jokes?”
Why are records managers seen as the lone
bureaucratic minion, stuck in an office the size of a
broom closet, accessing a giant room of never-ending
shelves of banker boxes? Why are the doors locked,
airless, and usually dark, with a single desk lamp as the
only appliance that lightens the daily slog? What is it
about “records management” that signals humorless,
dour depictions?
Uh, because it really is that way? Perhaps, the
following seven points can illuminate this point for you:
You work in a regulated industry, and it’s a
requirement. But there’s always push back
from the other departments…
By Eugene Y. Yang,
Principal Consultant
KISMET Consulting, Inc.
In this edition’s column, I thought I would interject some levity, as I know that
you all are working hard to do your jobs, keep your plants in compliance, and
care about quality and service. This one is for you!
i
1
2
3
You’re all about retention and protection…
Sometimes you have allies…
10 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

4
But, most of the time… (Engineers, c’mon!)
7
Ultimately, you just want to serve your
customers!
5
Maybe it’s how you’re perceived…
6
Maybe it’s the technology that you deploy…
Let me leave you with this:
How many Records
Managers does it take
to screw in a lightbulb
in their Director’s
office?
Many have tried, but the
light never comes on.
Eugene has been a member of NIRMA for over 35
years, and served as President from
1999-2001. At the time he joined,
NIRMA had only been in existence for
11 years. He would love to hear about
stories and anecdotes from others, so
please email him at
eugene.yang@kismetconsulting.com.
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 11

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siget:
Focused on artificial
intelligence
t
By Ron J. Hedges
T
he earlier Message from the Board incorporates
“Goldilocks and Nuclear Transition,” written by
Bob Larrivee. In that piece, Bob discusses the
challenges that new technologies might present
for records and information managers as the nuclear
industry confronts, among other things, artificial
intelligence (AI) in its many “guises.” AI can be used,
for example, to replace traditional paperwork with
electronic records, sift through massive amounts of data
to respond to research inquiries, and, more
controversially, use data to create “original” content
through generative AI such as ChatGPT and assist in or
make hiring decisions.
All this means that, as with any new technology, a
number of questions should be asked when thinking
about -- or choosing -- AI; however, we might define it.
These questions include:
• How should the risks and benefits of AI be
evaluated?
• Who should undertake the evaluation and who
should the decisionmaker be?
• When and how should audits or assessments be
undertaken?
• What additional regulatory obligations might be
triggered?
• What happens when there is a “failure” in terms of
reporting and remediation obligations?
SIGET is the “Special Interest Group on Emerging
Technologies” that was created by NIRMA to research
new technologies and enable the assessment of how a
specific technology could impact information and
records management practices in the nuclear industry.
The SIGET team chose to focus on AI as its initial topic
of interest.
SIGET will also
work with the
Regulations and
Information
Management
Business Unit (RIMBU) and the Professional
Development Business Unit (PDBU) on the creation of
technical guidelines (TGs), position papers, white
papers, and educational materials for new technologies.
The questions posed above are among those that
SIGET might consider as it looks at any emerging
technology.
This article is intended to assist in the opening of a
discussion of AI at the NIRMA 23 Symposium and,
more generally, how the nuclear industry might
approach whatever technology “comes down the road.”
Remember, there was a time when punch cards were
new!
Not a NIRMA Member?
Click here and join TODAY!
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 13

Tammy Cutts, NIRMA Treasurer
NIRMA’s Financial Holdings
as of May 31, 2023
Checking Account $82,252.66
Investment Account $85,871.90
14 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

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Professional Development
Business Unit (PDBU) News
Lou Rofrano, PDBU Director
It’s offIcIally summer!
T
ime for vacations, beach
attire, a cold drink, and
relaxing. It's also a good
time to look back at the Professional
Development Business Unit (PDBU)
accomplishments and look forward
to the NIRMA Symposium this
August!
Looking Back:
2022-23 in Review
The PDBU, along with our partners
at iBridge, hosted seven webinars for
the 2022 - 23 season. The following
webinars were presented by subject
matter experts in our industry. An
average of 30 people attended each
webinar.
• NIRMA Business Unit overview
- Stephanie Price, Kathi Cole
(CRM), Lou Rofrano
• Mothers for Nuclear - Kristin
Zaitz (Diablo Canyon)
• Get Your House in Order - Erik
Wold (Information First)
• Secure Destruction of Records
Both Paper and Digital - Lou
Rofrano (AMS Store and Shred)
• Cloud Service Offerings in the
Nuclear Environment - Danny
Stewart and Joshua Jenkins (GE-
Hitachi Nuclear Energy)
• SIGET - A deep dive into the
uses of AI by the industry -
Judge Ron Hedges (Ret.) and
Stephen Fleshman (Cohesive
Group)
• 2023 Symposium Overview -
Bruce Walters (CRM/NS)
(AECOM)
The PDBU appreciates each of
the presenters for taking time to
share their expertise, and Ethan
Hayden at iBridge for hosting and
recording the webinars. Thank you!
Looking Forward:
The NIRMA Symposium
Have you registered for the
symposium yet? You ARE going to
the symposium, aren't you?! The
Symposium Schedule will be
available soon. Here's a few tips to
maximize the event:
• Review the symposium
schedule - This year's
symposium is packed with
keynote speakers, sessions,
vendor exhibits, and more. Plus,
consider staying an extra day to
attend and participate in the
business unit (BU) meetings. The
BU meetings are where we plan
the next steps for NIRMA, and
we'd love to have your input!
• Highlight the sessions that
you want to attend - You'll
want to review the offerings and
plan which sessions to attend.
There are multiple sessions in
each time slot, so pick your
favorites or split up the sessions
with a colleague or friend.
• Identify the vendors and
people you want to connect
with - The symposium schedule
contains the vendors and vendor
exhibit times. You'll want to plan
to see all the vendors and
prioritize which ones you spend
the most time with. NIRMA has
awesome vendors! You'll also
want to plan to connect with
friends and colleagues from
across the industry, and make
time to make new connections/
friends too!
• Earn Certified Records
Analyst (CRA) and Certified
Records Manager (CRM)
Certification Maintenance
Points (CMP) - Attendees of
NIRMA 2023 Symposium are
eligible for CMP from the
Institute of Certified Records
Managers (ICRM). CRA and
CRM need these points to
remain current in their
certification. Individuals who
hold the Federal Specialist (FS)
or Nuclear Specialist (NS)
designations are eligible to earn
CMPs for their designations by
attending the NIRMA
Symposium.
Stay cool and safe this summer.
Your PDBU leaders, Lou Rofrano
and Gil Brueckner, look forward to
connecting with you this August at
the NIRMA symposium!
16 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

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Regulations and Information
Management Business Unit
(RIMBU) News
By Stephanie Price, RIMBU Director
Industry Benchmark - Doing More with Less
I
n February of this year, RIMBU and NIRMA
distributed a benchmarking survey with the goal
of gathering the most up-to-date information on
the state of our industry. The call to action for
the past several years has been to streamline, simplify,
eliminate, and innovate. The pandemic only
accelerated those initiatives and also presented us with
new challenges as individuals began working from
home. It is RIMBU’s goal to provide the larger
organization with information on best practices and
new innovations while helping utilities remain aligned
with our core standards and regulations.
If you have not already done so, please fill out the
survey. Myself or our NIRMA administrator can
provide the link if needed. Results of the survey will
be shared during the utility benchmarking sessions at
this year’s Symposium.
RIMBU 2023 Summer Meeting
The RIMBU team will hold our annual Summer
meeting on August 10th following the NIRMA
Symposium. Topics up for discussion are:
• Industry Foundation Class (IFC) file format for
3D Models
• The Four TGs on Electronic Records
Management
• A white paper on the value proposition of records
management for emerging technologies
• How can we broaden our involvement with other
organizations (e.g., AIIM, ASME, ARMA,
NITSL)
The summer meeting is open to everyone. RIMBU is
a great opportunity to benchmark with others in the
industry, share valuable operating experience, and
have the opportunity to influence industry standard
guidance in records management.
If you’re interested in joining, please reach out to
me at sjprice@southernco.com.
NIRMA23 Symposium,
⬧ August 7-9, 2023
⬧ August 10, 2023 – Business
Unit Meetings
Held at the
JW Marriott Resort and Spa
Las Vegas, Nevada
18 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

MEMBERSHIP &
MARKETING (M&M)
Business Unit News
W
e are less than two months away from the
2023 NIRMA Symposium. Time to start
really thinking about attending the
symposium. There are great ways to enjoy and
participate in the learning and fun.
We will again have fantastic Keynotes and wonderful
Speakers this year. So much to learn and the
networking opportunity is amazing.
Do you have a vendor or vendors that you do
business with that could benefit from participating in
the NIRMA symposium? There may be other
members of NIRMA that could benefit from your
vendors and may need exactly what you have in use in
your organization. Please share the NIRMA
symposium information with your vendors and ask
them if they are interested in being a part of it.
Devin Cote, M&MBU Director
“BRING-a-BUDDY”
Consider bringing a colleague to the NIRMA
Symposium from your organization, such as IT, your
boss, procedure writers, auditors, engineers, etc. They
won’t be disappointed with the array of topics covered
and the networking with industry peers. It is a perfect
way to orient newer personnel in your work team to
learn the fundamentals alongside the regulations. Take
advantage!
Remember to register
by July 1st to receive the
Early Bird Discount!
M&MBU is looking for new members to help come
up with new ideas to bring new members to NIRMA,
as well as how to share everyone’s expertise with the
membership. M&MBU meets the first Wednesday
every month for one hour at 1:00 PM EST. Please join
us. We are a fun group to work with.
For additional information or questions on anything
mentioned above, please contact nirma@nirma.org.
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 19

Demand for nuclear energy is unprecedented, with
more and more reports predicting nuclear output will
have to increase substantially to meet energy transition
targets. And that new reality for nuclear was on full
display at last week’s Nuclear Energy Assembly (NEA)
in Washington, D.C.
main objectives will be to strengthen Tennessee’s
existing nuclear industry, allocate $50 million of
incentives, and attract private companies to the state.
Federal and state government officials realize the
power of nuclear is not just in decarbonizing the grid.
Both Congress and the Biden administration have
made moves to not only protect our existing fleet, but
also to incentivize advanced nuclear and restore
American leadership in the industry. During NEA, U.S.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers addressed recent
efforts to signal to markets that the U.S. is serious about
establishing energy security and using nuclear to do it.
And it’s not just the federal government that’s itching
for more nuclear—states, too, are joining the fray.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced at NEA the launch
of a Nuclear Energy Advisory Council. The task force’s
Nuclear can also provide long-lasting, good-paying jobs
and reinvigorate communities in the process. NEI
President and CEO Maria Korsnick spoke about how
four coal communities in Wyoming competed for the
chance to site TerraPower’s first Natrium reactor.
But excitement for nuclear energy isn’t contained to
just government officials. Nuclear is taking Hollywood
and Wall Street by storm! “Nuclear Now” documentary
co-writer Joshua Goldstein spoke to NEA attendees
about his own journey with nuclear power and answered
questions on how to breakdown fear—and what it was
20 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

Support for
Nuclear up in
the US, DOE
Awards $22.1 Million to Nuclear Tech
Support for nuclear technology as a source of
electricity in the United States is at its highest level since
2012, according to a Gallup poll.
The Indian Point Energy Center nuclear power plant
in Buchanan New York, closed since April 2021. (Source:
Reuters/Mike Segar)
The poll was taken March 1-23 of a random sample
of 1,009 people living in all 50 states and the district of
Columbia.
like working with Oliver Stone on the film!
While Oliver Stone and Joshua Goldstein tackle public
opinion, private investment is another crucial piece to
realizing the 400 to 800 gigawatts of advanced nuclear
that McKinsey predicts for the global energy transition.
And nuclear is starting to get the attention of
investors—maybe because nuclear is the largest clean
energy source available and the only clean energy source
that has the power to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors
like the manufacturing and chemical industries.
Indeed, Pelican Energy Partners, a private equity firm
that historically invested in oilfield services,
recently announced a new fund strategy that centers
Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults said they “strongly”
or “somewhat” favor the use of nuclear energy, a fourpercentage-point
increase from a year earlier, the poll
noted.
Forty four percent of Americans “strongly” or
“somewhat” oppose such use, down from 47% in 2022.
U.S. citizens tend to be more amenable to the use of
nuclear energy when oil prices have been high and less
open to it when oil prices are low, the study noted.
Public support for the technology hit a high in 2010,
a year before the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Plant in 2011, at 62%.
Some 25% strongly favor nuclear power use, 30%
somewhat favor it, while 22% each strongly and
somewhat oppose its usage, the poll showed.
The attitude toward nuclear power is divided among
political lines, with 62% of Republican voters, 46% of
Democrat voters, and 56% of independents favoring its
use to generate electricity.
nuclear energy.
Continued on page 24.
The challenge before us isn’t demand—
it’s meeting demand. And the industry must deliver.
In a recent interview with Chuck Todd on Meet the
Press, NEI President and CEO Maria Korsnick
imagined a future where every town has a reactor.
Because the world needs nuclear energy for what it
provides: energy security, national security, and climate
security. But the world
also wants nuclear energy for what it
provides: hydrogen production,
process heat, nuclear medicine, highpaying
jobs, reliable
power, and more.
Article reprinted with permission of
NEI. Read full article here.
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 21

Waste will see
combination of repositories, boreholes,
recycling the moon
Recycling is being explored by several companies
developing next-generation reactors,
including Oklo, Orano, Moltex, and Elysium, but until
these technologies are fully commercialized, and with
the public uneasy over on-site storage, waste burial is
the next best option.
Used nuclear fuel in a storage pool at Orano nuclear
waste processing plant in La Hague, France (Source: Reuters/Stephane
Mahe)
Low-level waste (LLW), including clothing,
instruments, and machinery, accounts for around 90%
by volume of all the waste types produced by nuclear
technologies and can be stored safely via land-based
disposal immediately after it is packaged for long-term
management, according to the World Nuclear
Association.
Intermediate-level waste (ILW) contains long-lived
radioisotopes and is stored pending permanent disposal,
while high-level waste (HLW), or spent nuclear fuel
(SNF) may be kept in ponds or dry casks.
The global solutions for ILW and HLW are currently
framed as temporary – though many argue that dry cask
storage at the reactor site or centrally is sufficiently
secure – and the next step is recycling for the new
advanced reactors or to bury it deep underground.
Consent-based siting
By Paul Day
Today, the Posiva Oy facility Onkalo in Finland is the
only permanent geological repository that is licensed
and in construction.
The practice of consent-based siting, whereby a site is
chosen after an exhaustive public inquiry into whether a
particular location is acceptable, has tripped up
governments worldwide.
So-called NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) is
common in much of North America and Europe, where
trust in public entities is low, and can lead to long
delays.
There is about 86,000 tons of SNF stored on-site at 75
operating or shutdown power plants in 33 states in the
United States and, of those who believe in nuclear
power, less than half support keeping spent fuel within
50 miles of their own communities, according to a
Morning Consult poll.
Meanwhile, one in three Americans already live within
50 miles of a nuclear waste storage site, according to the
company Deep Isolation.
The U.S.’s long-preferred option of Yucca
Mountain in Nevada was abandoned after strong
opposition both locally and statewide by the public,
local indigenous communities, and, consequently, many
politicians.
The U.S. Congress directed the Department of Energy
(DOE) to concentrate on the Yucca Mountain site from
22 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

nine other candidates in 1987 and the Secretary of
Energy recommended the site to the President in 2002.
Strong state opposition lead the government to drop
the Nevada option more than 20 years later in 2009.
In Switzerland, the National Cooperative for the
Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra) announced in
September 2022 it had selected a site at Nördlich
Lägern, north of Zurich. Nagra expects to submit a
construction license by 2024.
“A key difference that we've heard from our Swiss
colleagues is that in their country there is a lot of trust in
their government and government scientists, so if the
government says that this is the most scientifically and
technically sound sites, the public will generally accept
that,” said Acting Office Director of Integrated Waste
Management at the U.S. DOE Erica Bickford during the
American Nuclear Society Webinar ‘Spending time on
spent nuclear fuel.’
“I think we know that that may not be the case
everywhere,” she added.
Overview of inventory suitability for Deep Borehole
Disposal (DBD)
Deep and narrow
Berkeley, California-based company Deep Isolation
attempts to apply directional drilling technology to
nuclear waste management and, instead of building a
repository with deep, wide caverns and storage units,
focuses on inserting waste into narrow bore holes that
can reach hundreds of meters into the earth.
“You don't have anybody underground, so you don't
have the kind of mining concerns you'd have with
humans underground, including the ventilation and
other aspects. And, so, it does allow you to do this more
safely and efficiently,” says Deep Isolation's Chief
Operating Officer Rod Baltzer.
Each fuel assembly is around 15 feet (4.6 meters) long
and fits into a standard canister of a little less than 15
inches (38.1 cm) wide or 47 cm wide for larger waste
forms such as vitrified HLW. Each borehole, about 18-
inch-wide, can hold some 200 canisters.
Borehole repositories leave waste in stable geological
formations and are particularly well suited for HLW.
Following an initial study into the suitability of parts
of the UK nuclear waste inventory for Deep Isolation’s
boreholes, the country’s Nuclear Waste Service (NWS)
found that, while a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF)
would also be necessary, the company’s solution could
be considered to dispose of all of the UK’s high heat
generating waste inventory.
Deep Isolation found 11% of the UK’s Inventory for
Geological Disposal (IGD) is operationally and
commercially suitable for disposal in a deep borehole
repository, or all the high heat generating waste
(HHGW).
That would account for 96% of the IGD’s
radioactivity levels in 2200, according to the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA’s) calculations.
HHGW would typically need to be spaced out within
a mined repository so heat concentration doesn’t rise
too high, a problem which can be solved by placing long
canisters end-to-end in a borehole.
Article reprinted with permission of Reuters. Read full article here.
Source: Deep Isolation study "Deep Isolation and ERDO:
Preliminary assessment of a Deep Isolation borehole repository
as a disposal option for nuclear waste in the ERDO countries."
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 23

Atomics, and Terrestrial Energy.
ORNL develops AR radiation tool
Continued from page 21.
Democrat support has increased to 46% in 2023
from 39% in 2022, while Republican and Independent
support remained steady year on year.
DOE awards grant to advanced nuclear tech
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded
$22.1 million to 10 industry-led current and advanced
nuclear reactor demonstration projects, the DOE said in
a statement.
The awards will help advance nuclear technology and
ensure nuclear power continues to play a crucial role in
President Joe Biden’s emission reduction and climate
change goals, the DOE said.
Two of the projects are aimed at expanding clean
hydrogen production with nuclear energy and another is
focused on bringing a microreactor design closer to
deployment.
Other projects intend to tackle nuclear regulatory
hurdles, improve operations of existing reactors, and
facilitate new advanced reactor developments, it said.
The projects are funded through the office of
Nuclear Energy’s industry funding opportunity
announcement (iFOA) which, since 2018, has invested
more than $230 million into 48 projects from 31
different companies across 18 states.
To date, 28 of the projects have been completed
successfully.
The hydrogen project teams include General Electric
Global Research and Westinghouse Electric Company,
while other project teams include work by X-Energy,
EPRI, 3M Company, and Constellation Energy
Generation.
Four projects will look at how to breakdown
regulatory hurdles and include teams from RhioCorps,
Analysis and Measurement Services Corp., General
Researchers at the DOE’s Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an augmented
reality (AR) tool that creates accurate visual
representations of ionizing radiation, the laboratory said
in a statement.
The tech has been licensed by Teletrix, a firm that
creates advanced simulation tools to train the nation’s
radiation control workforce.
Ionizing radiation has enough energy to knock
electrons off atoms or molecules, creating ions, and is
linked to cancer and other health problems.
Occupational exposure is a common occurrence for
many radiological workers, the ORNL said.
“This technology will allow radiological workers to
better understand the environments they work in,
enabling a safer and more informed workforce,” ORNL
deputy for science and technology Susan Hubbard said.
“We combined physics-based data with a gaming
interface that provides a visual platform to make
something invisible look and feel real – we took science
and cinematography and brought them together,” said
ORNL’s Michael Smith.
The development team expected the technology to be
used for radiological survey, radiation source search, and
radiological workflow, the statement said.
Microsoft signs fusion PPA with Helion
Microsoft has a reached an agreement with Helion
Energy to buy electricity from its first fusion power
plant, the company’s first customer and the first
consumer to sign a power purchase agreement for
electricity generated by fusion, Helion said in a
statement.
Helion is one of amongst the more than 30
companies and government research laboratories
looking at fusion, the process that powers the sun and
stars but has still not been successfully exploited on
Earth to generate electricity.
24 Summer 2023 NIRMA.org Back to Content | Inside NIRMA

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Constellation will serve as the power marketer and
will manage transmission for the project, which Helion
believes will be online by 2028 with power generation of
50 MW or greater after a 1-year ramp up period.
“This collaboration represents a significant milestone
for Helion and the fusion industry as a whole,” said
Helion CEO David Kirtley.
“We are grateful for the support of a visionary
company like Microsoft. We still have a lot of work to
do, but we are confident in our ability to deliver the
world’s first fusion power facility.”
Helion has previously built six working prototypes
and was the first company to reach 100-million-degree
plasma temperatures with its sixth prototype.
The seventh prototype will demonstrate the ability to
produce electricity by 2024, the company said.
Experiments to date have used more energy than
they have produced, but expectations that the
technology could one day generate net power without
any significant waste have many claiming that successful
fusion power generation could completely overturn the
current energy industry.
Article reprinted with permission of
Reuters. Read full article here.
Back to Content | Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2023 25

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