# Daily Energy SMR Watch leads checked — 2026-09-08

Selected for publication:
- NuScale / MillenniTEK: official NuScale release dated September 1, 2026 says first-of-a-kind boron-oxide pellets were fabricated for NuScale's passive emergency core cooling system. FT/BusinessWire carried the same release. This is a supply-chain/manufacturing-readiness milestone for an NRC-certified/approved SMR design, not a plant deployment.

Checked but skipped / not selected today:
- Blykalla U.S. Austin technical hub: real September 1 company/wire release, but Managing Expectations already covered Blykalla's Swedish reactor-park application on August 25; the office expansion is less substantive than an SMR safety-component manufacturing gate.
- Aalo/Microsoft permitting AI articles: source trail appears to be older 2025 material resurfacing in search results; Aalo/Crusoe and Aalo criticality are already covered locally.
- DOE Reactor Pilot Program criticality links: July/August criticality items already covered in prior Energy source cards.
- Broad Utility Dive / AI-data-center SMR trend piece: useful context but analysis/trend reporting, not a single new official milestone.