Today: Smaller, more advanced reactors will require fuel that is more processed than traditional plants; GDEV raises its bets on batteries and EVs; Frontier signs $31 million deal to buy marine credits from Planetary.

Welcome back: Wider acceptance of nuclear energy among Americans who want cheaper, emissions-free electricity favors development of new nuclear stations, The Wall Street Journal's Anthony Harrup reports.

Building small modular reactors and micro-reactors, with generation capacity anywhere from less than 10 megawatts to 300 megawatts, is expected to lower costs and shorten the time to bring plants online. The Trump administration aims to help speed up the process.

The new generation of reactors needs a new generation of fuel: high assay low enriched uranium, or Haleu. Centrus Energy, the only U.S.-owned uranium enrichment company, started making Haleu in October 2023 under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Industry players highlight uranium enrichment capacity as the key bottleneck to building a U.S. nuclear-fuel supply chain given high dependence on Russian enrichment, analysts at UBS said in a recent report.

The U.S. imports around two-thirds of its enriched uranium, and about a third is provided by Urenco, owned by the U.K., the Netherlands and two German utility companies, from an enrichment plant in New Mexico.

• Nvidia and Google Back Nuclear Fusion Start-Up Comonwealth
• Another Old Nuclear Reactor Is Coming Back
• The Audacious Reboot of America’s Nuclear Energy Program

Clean-energy investment firm GDEV Management expects demand for battery systems and electric vehicle-infrastructure to rise despite recent policy changes for the industry and has fully committed the more than $200 million it has raised for its latest fund, WSJ Pro's Luis Garcia reports.

GDEV backs developers of solar and battery installations that serve local customers and are typically smaller than centralized power plants that provide electricity to faraway consumers. The firm also invests in power grid-related infrastructure, transportation and sustainable-fuel sectors.

Investments from the newest fund include battery-system developers Peak Power and Lightshift Energy, formerly known as Delorean Power. The firm also backed EV charging station developer 3V Infrastructure and Revolv Global, which provides capital, equipment and services to fleet operators looking to shift to electric vehicles.

• AIP Pledges $500 Million to Solar Developer Silicon Ranch
• Aligned Climate Capital Raises $85 Million for Clean-Energy Bets
• Biofuel Woes Idle Private Equity-Backed Renewable-Diesel Refinery

The Frontier carbon removal buyers club will purchase 115,211 credits from Planetary, which mitigates emissions via ocean alkalinity enhancement, for $31.3 million, Henry Kronk reports for OPIS, a Dow Jones company.

Planetary removes carbon by introducing dissolved alkaline minerals into the ocean. These compounds, such as magnesium oxide, react with carbon dioxide dissolved in ocean waters to form bicarbonate ions, which will remain stable in the ocean “for over 10,000 years,” Frontier said. This process gives the ocean greater capacity to absorb atmospheric CO2.

The compounds are introduced at existing "outfall" facilities, including power plant cooling and waste-water treatment systems, that discharge water into the sea, according to Planetary's website.  Ocean alkalinity enhancement also improves "conditions for marine calcifiers like oysters, shrimp, lobsters, and crabs, benefitting not only the aquaculture and fishing industries but also natural ecosystems," Frontier said.

The deal valued marine CDR credits at roughly $271/metric ton and will include credits created between 2026 and 2030.

• A New Solution for CO2 Emissions: Bury Them at Sea
• Radical Technology Aims to Rev Up Oceans’ Power to Cool the World
• Using the Ocean’s Power to Fight Climate Change

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• Lynas Rare Earths said that a planned processing facility in Texas may not go ahead. (WSJ)
   
• Mitsubishi blames high turbine costs for its retreat from offshore wind projects. (FT)
   
• Apple loses court case over ‘CO2 neutral’ watch claim. (Trellis)
   
• A contest over union representation at Ford’s first U.S. EV battery plant will come down to a handful of disputed ballots. (WSJ)
   
• First Google, now Microsoft: tech staff are in revolt over Gaza. (WSJ)
   
• EPA plans to dramatically reduce wetland protection. (E&E News)
   
• Sierra Club received sexual harassment complaint about its then-chief earlier this year. (Bloomberg)
   
• Leveraging residual risk data to go beyond reporting. (Dow Jones Risk Journal)

Notice to readers: The Sustainable Business newsletter will be taking a break on Monday for the Labor Day holiday. We'll be back on Wednesday.

WSJ Pro Sustainable Business gives you an inside look at how companies are tackling sustainability. Send comments to bureau chief Perry Cleveland-Peck at perry.cleveland-peck@wsj.com and reporters Clara Hudson at clara.hudson@wsj.com and Yusuf Khan at yusuf.khan@wsj.com. Follow us on LinkedIn at wsjperry, clara-hudson and yusuf_khan.