Google turns to nuclear to power AI data centres

Google signed a deal to power its artificial intelligence data centers using small nuclear reactors.

Kairos Power will provide the first reactor before 2030



Google has signed a deal to use small nuclear reactors to generate the vast amounts of energy needed to power its artificial intelligence (AI) data centres.

The company says the agreement with Kairos Power will see it start using the first reactor this decade and bring more online by 2035.

The companies did not give any details about how much the deal is worth or where the plants will be built.

Technology firms are increasingly turning to nuclear sources of energy to supply the electricity used by the huge data centres that drive AI.

"The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies," said Michael Terrell, senior director for energy and climate at Google.

"This agreement helps accelerate a new technology to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably, and unlock the full potential of AI for everyone."

The deal with Google "is important to accelerate the commercialisation of advanced nuclear energy by demonstrating the technical and market viability of a solution critical to decarbonising power grids,” said Kairos executive Jeff Olson.

The plans still have to be approved by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as local agencies before they are allowed to proceed.

Last year, US regulators gave California-based Kairos Power the first permit in 50 years to build a new type of nuclear reactor.

In July, the company started construction of a demonstration reactor in Tennessee.

The startup specialises in the development of smaller reactors that use molten fluoride salt as a coolant instead of water, which is used by traditional nuclear plants.

Nuclear power, which is virtually carbon free and provides electricity 24 hours a day, has become increasingly attractive to the tech industry as it attempts to cut emissions even as it uses more energy.

Global energy consumption by data centres is expected to more than double by the end of the decade, according to Wall Street banking giant Goldman Sachs.

John Moore, Industry Editor for the TechTarget website told the BBC that AI data centres need large amounts of electricity to both power them and and keep equipment cool.

"These data centres are equipped with specialised hardware... that require lots of power, that generate lots of heat".

At a United Nations Climate Change Conference last year, the US joined a group of countries that want to triple their nuclear energy capacity by 2050 as part of efforts to move away from fossil fuels.

However, critics say nuclear power is not risk-free and produces long-lasting radioactive waste.

Last month, Microsoft reached a deal to restart operations at the Three Mile Island energy plant, the site of America's worst nuclear accident in 1979.

In March, Amazon said it would buy a nuclear-powered data centre in the state of Pennsylvania.

"Google’s partnership with Kairos Power signals another major step in tech’s embrace of nuclear energy," said Somnath Kansabanik from research firm Rystad Energy.

Pandora's Promise

"Nuclear Now" is good.

"Pandora's Promise" is even better IMHO.


You can watch the full documentary here:

Pandora's Promise

There’s Only One Good Way to Power AI
Chatbots are saving America’s nuclear industry.
By Matteo Wong

September 21, 2024



When the Three Mile Island power plant in Pennsylvania was decommissioned in 2019, it heralded the symbolic end of America’s nuclear industry. In 1979, the facility was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in the nation’s history: a partial reactor meltdown that didn’t release enough radiation to cause detectable harm to people nearby, but still turned Americans against nuclear power and prompted a host of regulations that functionally killed most nuclear build-out for decades. Many existing plants stayed online, but 40 years later, Three Mile Island joined a wave of facilities that shut down because of financial hurdles and competition from cheap natural gas, closures that cast doubt over the future of nuclear power in the United States.

Now Three Mile Island is coming back, this time as part of efforts to meet the enormous electricity demands of generative AI. The plant’s owner, Constellation Energy, announced yesterday that it is reopening the facility. Microsoft, which is seeking clean energy to power its data centers, has agreed to buy power from the reopened plant for 20 years. “This was the site of the industry’s greatest failure, and now it can be a place of rebirth,” Joseph Dominguez, the CEO of Constellation, told The New York Times. Three Mile Island plans to officially reopen in 2028, after some $1.6 billion worth of refurbishing and under a new name, the Crane Clean Energy Center.

Nuclear power and chatbots might be a perfect match. The technology underlying ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and Microsoft Copilot is extraordinarily power-hungry. These programs feed on more data, are more complex, and use more electricity-intensive hardware than traditional web algorithms. An AI-powered web search, for instance, could require five to 10 times more electricity than a traditional query.

The world is already struggling to generate enough electricity to meet the internet’s growing power demand, which AI is rapidly accelerating. Large grids and electric utilities across the U.S. are warning that AI is straining their capacity, and some of the world’s biggest data-center hubs—including Sweden, Singapore, Amsterdam, and exurban Washington, D.C.—are struggling to find power to run new constructions. The exact amount of power that AI will demand within a few years’ time is hard to predict, but it will likely be enormous: Estimates range from the equivalent of Argentina’s annual power usage to that of India.

That’s a big problem for the tech companies building these data centers, many of which have made substantial commitments to cut their emissions. Microsoft, for instance, has pledged to be “carbon negative,” or to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits, by 2030. The Three Mile Island deal is part of that accounting. Instead of directly drawing power from the reopened plant, Microsoft will buy enough carbon-free nuclear energy from the facility to match the power that several of its data centers draw from the grid, a company spokesperson told me over email.

Such electricity-matching schemes, known as “power purchase agreements,” are necessary because the construction of solar, wind, and geothermal plants is not keeping pace with the demands of AI. Even if it was, these clean electricity sources might pose a more fundamental problem for tech companies: Data centers’ new, massive power demands need to be met at all hours of the day, not just when the sun shines or the wind blows.

To fill the gap, many tech companies are turning to a readily available source of abundant, reliable electricity: burning fossil fuels. In the U.S., plans to wind down coal-fired power plants are being delayed in West Virginia, Maryland, Missouri, and elsewhere to power data centers. That Microsoft will use the refurbished Three Mile Island to offset, rather than supply, its data centers’ electricity consumption suggests that the facilities will likely continue to rely on fossil fuels for some time, too. Burning fossil fuels to power AI means the new tech boom might even threaten to delay the green-energy transition.

Still, investing in nuclear energy to match data centers’ power usage also brings new sources of clean, reliable electricity to the power grid. Splitting apart atoms provides a carbon-free way to generate tremendous amounts of electricity day and night. Bobby Hollis, Microsoft’s vice president for energy, told Bloomberg that this is a key upside to the Three Mile Island revival: “We run around the clock. They run around the clock.” Microsoft is working to build a carbon-free grid to power all of its operations, data centers included. Nuclear plants will be an important component that provides what the company has elsewhere called “firm electricity” to fill in the gaps for less steady sources of clean energy, including solar and wind.

It’s not just Microsoft that is turning to nuclear. Earlier this year, Amazon purchased a Pennsylvania data center that is entirely nuclear-powered, and the company is reportedly in talks to secure nuclear power along the East Coast from another Constellation nuclear plant. Google, Microsoft, and several other companies have invested or agreed to buy electricity in start-ups promising nuclear fusion—an even more powerful and cleaner form of nuclear power that remains highly experimental—as have billionaires including Sam Altman, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos.

Nuclear energy might not just be a good option for powering the AI boom. It might be the only clean option able to meet demand until there is a substantial build-out of solar and wind energy. A handful of other, retired reactors could come back online, and new ones may be built as well. Only the day before the Three Mile Island announcement, Jennifer Granholm, the secretary of energy, told my colleague Vann R. Newkirk II that building small nuclear reactors could become an important way to supply nonstop clean energy to data centers. Whether such construction will be fast and plentiful enough to satisfy the growing power demand is unclear. But it must be, for the generative-AI revolution to really take off. Before chatbots can finish remaking the internet, they might need to first reshape America’s physical infrastructure.

Full Link

Constellation to restart Three Mile Island unit, powering Microsoft
Friday, 20 September 2024

Constellation has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft that will see Three Mile Island unit 1 restarted, five years after it was shut down.

Three Mile Island unit 1 was shuttered in 2019 (Image: NRC/Exelon)

Constellation purchased the 837 MWe Three Mile Island Unit 1, in 1999. The unit, which had enough capacity to power 800,000 homes, was retired prematurely for economic reasons in 2019. In its last year of operation, the plant was producing electricity at maximum capacity 96.3% of the time - well above the industry average and employed more than 600 full-time workers.

The Unit 1 reactor is located adjacent to TMI Unit 2, which was shut down in 1979 after an accident which resulted in severe damage to the reactor core and is in the process of being decommissioned by its owner, Energy Solutions.

Constellation says "significant investments will be made to restore" unit 1 "including the turbine, generator, main power transformer and cooling and control systems. Restarting a nuclear reactor requires US Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval following a comprehensive safety and environmental review, as well as permits from relevant state and local agencies. Additionally, through a separate request, Constellation will pursue licence renewal that will extend plant operations to at least 2054".

The plant is to be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Centre - after Chris Cane, who was CEO of Constellation's parent company and passed away in April. The aim is for it to be online in 2028. Constellation says it aims to operate it for decades to come, and will create 3400 direct and indirect jobs and deliver more than USD3 billion in state and federal taxes

"This agreement is a major milestone in Microsoft's efforts to help decarbonise the grid in support of our commitment to become carbon negative. Microsoft continues to collaborate with energy providers to develop carbon-free energy sources to help meet the grids' capacity and reliability needs," said Bobby Hollis, vice president of energy, Microsoft.

Joe Dominguez, president and CEO, Constellation, said: "Powering industries critical to our nation’s global economic and technological competitiveness, including data centres, requires an abundance of energy that is carbon-free and reliable every hour of every day, and nuclear plants are the only energy sources that can consistently deliver on that promise. Before it was prematurely shuttered due to poor economics, this plant was among the safest and most reliable nuclear plants on the grid, and we look forward to bringing it back with a new name and a renewed mission to serve as an economic engine for Pennsylvania."

Governor Josh Shapiro said: "Under the careful watch of state and federal authorities, the Crane Clean Energy Center will safely utilise existing infrastructure to sustain and expand nuclear power in the Commonwealth while creating thousands of energy jobs and strengthening Pennsylvania’s legacy as a national energy leader."

Michael Goff, Acting Assistant Secretary, Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy, said: "Always-on, carbon-free nuclear energy plays an important role in the fight against climate change and meeting the country's growing energy demands."

Friday's announcement could see the unit become the second in the USA - and the world - to return to operational status after being shut down for decommissioning. Holtec International is currently working to bring the Palisades single-unit pressurised water reactor in Michigan, which closed in 2022, bring back into service and is aiming to repower the plant by the end of 2025.

Earlier this year, the US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office conditionally committed up to USD1.52 billion for a loan guarantee to Holtec Palisades for the project, and in June US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told Reuters she would be "surprised" if the office was not talking to other owners of shuttered plants about potential restarts.

Construction permit granted for molten salt research reactor
Tuesday, 17 September 2024

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a licence to Abilene Christian University for the construction of a molten salt research reactor on its campus in Abilene, Texas. This marks the first construction permit for a liquid-fueled advanced reactor and only the second for any advanced reactor issued by the NRC.

Representatives from Natura Resources, the Zachry Group, Abilene Christian University, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology receive the construction permit

In March 2020, Abilene Christian University (ACU) submitted to the NRC a Letter of Intent to apply for a construction permit for a non-power molten salt reactor. In July 2020, it submitted a Regulatory Engagement Plan related to this project. ACU submitted its construction licence application - including a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report and an Environmental Review - to the NRC in August 2022. The NRC accepted the application for review three months later. ACU submitted updates in November 2023 and July 2024.

ACU's molten salt research reactor (MSRR) will be the first deployment of the Natura MSR-1, a 1 MWt, graphite-moderated, fluoride salt flowing fluid (fuel dissolved in the salt) research reactor. The MSRR will be used for on-campus nuclear research and training opportunities for faculty, staff and students in advanced nuclear technologies. The reactor will significantly expand the university's salt reactor research and development infrastructure, supporting US molten salt reactor design, development, deployment and market penetration.??

The NRC issued its final environmental assessment for the site on 7 March with a finding of "no significant impact". On 16 September, the NRC completed its final safety evaluation for the reactor design, concluding the Natura MSR-1 meets federal regulations and is safe to construct.

"This is the first research reactor project we've approved for construction in decades, and the staff successfully worked with ACU to resolve several technical issues with this novel design," said Andrea Veil, Director of the NRC's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. "Going forward, we'll have inspectors on the ACU campus when construction gets started."

Natura Resources LLC said Zachry Nuclear Engineering will complete the detailed engineering and design of its Natura MSR-1 in "the first part of 2025, which will be followed quickly by the submission of the operating licence application to the NRC".

A cutaway of the MSR-1 research reactor

ACU is the lead university in the NEXT Research Alliance, which includes Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin. The alliance has a USD30.5 million research agreement with Natura Resources to license and deploy the MSRR, which will be located at ACU's Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center, the USA's first advanced reactor demonstration facility outside of a national laboratory. Construction of the centre was completed in August last year.

"ACU is thrilled to have Natura as a partner as we work together to answer the world's increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes, and clean water through the deployment of liquid-fueled molten salt reactors," said ACU President Phil Schubert. "With the NRC's issuance of the construction permit, we are one step closer to making that a reality. The performance-driven approach of Natura Resources to advanced reactor deployment has quickly moved them from a relative unknown to a leader in the upstart advanced reactor industry."

The research reactor will be Natura's first deployment and accelerates the development of its 100 MWe systems for commercial applications. To that end, Natura is working to develop a small modular MSR system and recently announced a partnership with the Texas Produced Water Consortium to explore the deployment of Natura's liquid-fueled molten salt technology providing additional sources of reliable, dispatchable energy paired with water treatment facilities.

"If we're going to meet the growing energy needs, not only in the State of Texas but in our country and the world at large, we must begin deploying advanced nuclear reactors," said Natura Resources founder and President Douglass Robison. "The Natura MSR-1 deployment at ACU will not only demonstrate successful licensure of a liquid-fueled molten salt reactor but will provide operational data that will allow us to safely and efficiently design and deploy our commercial systems."

I don't have a crystal ball to see the future and to give you satisfying answers to your questions.

But I do agree with the woman in "Planet of the Humans" who said:

"The tragedy of our time is we have given power to illusions"

If you're looking for "honest politicians" you're looking at the wrong crowd.

Because most humans don't want to hear facts or truth.

Most humans follow the person who promise them the most and what they want to hear.

True or not.... doesn't really matter. "The power of illusions."

As Albert Einstein observed:

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds"

Why?

1)
Resistance to change: Great ideas and breakthroughs often challenge the status quo and existing paradigms. Mediocre minds that are comfortable with the familiar and established ways of thinking can feel threatened by radical new concepts, and may lash out in opposition as a defense mechanism.

2)
Inability to comprehend complexity: Groundbreaking discoveries and insights can be inherently complex, nuanced, and difficult to fully grasp. Those with more limited intellectual capacity may struggle to understand the depth and significance of such ideas, and may dismiss them out of hand.

3)
Insecurity and threatened egos: Innovative thinkers can overshadow and outshine those with more ordinary abilities. This can trigger feelings of insecurity and threatened self-worth in the mediocre minds, who may then resort to attacking the "great spirits" in an effort to defend their own standing.

4)
Vested interests and entrenched power structures: Transformative ideas often challenge existing power dynamics and vested interests. Those benefiting from the status quo may feel compelled to suppress or undermine new thinking that could disrupt their position and privilege.

===========================================================================================

In essence, the "violent opposition" Einstein observed arises from a clash between visionary, paradigm-shifting thought and the more limited, threatened perspectives of those content with the intellectual and social order of the day. The march of progress has always required great minds to overcome the resistance of the mediocre.

You won't find "great spirits" but plenty of "mediocre con-artists" in politics.

Sad fact of life.

Cheers!

Planet Of The Humans

Planet Of The Humans

"It’s easier to fool the masses than to convince them that they are being fooled." - Mark Twain

Well then...

Since when has big oil ever supported nuclear energy? LOL

On the other hand, they have supported solar and wind for decades.

Why?

Because they know that these two will never replace fossil fuels.

Solar and wind parks are basically camouflaged fossil fuel plants. (Coal, Oil & Gas)

And they sell this scam to the masses as "Green Alternative"

THINK

No big mystery here...very simple...

Big Oil & Banks

If the orange clown wins, banks and big oil get what they want again.

The big losers will be alternative energy companies. All of them.

Including nuclear.

Anyone who believes otherwise is clearly delusional.

End of story.

BWXT considers locating TRISO plant in Wyoming

BWX Technologies Inc has signed a cooperation agreement with the Wyoming Energy Authority to evaluate locations for a potential new TRISO nuclear fuel production facility in the state.

A vial of the finished TRISO fuel particles (Image: BWXT)

Under the agreement, BWXT will evaluate the requirements for siting a fuel fabrication facility in Wyoming. The roughly 18-month effort will evaluate such matters as potential factory locations, product specifications, facility design and engineering, estimated capital expenditures and operating costs, staffing and worker skill requirements, supply chain necessities, licensing and other requirements.

"This new effort will help establish the baseline for facilities necessary to meet anticipated demand for this specialised nuclear fuel and includes establishing the scale necessary for economic viability," the company said.

TRISO fuel comprises spherical kernels of enriched uranium oxycarbide (or uranium dioxide) surrounded by layers of carbon and silicon carbide, giving a containment for fission products which is stable up to very high temperatures. High-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuels are being considered as the preferred fuel in several advanced reactor designs currently under development.

"BWXT owns and operates the only two Nuclear Regulatory Commission Category 1-licensed commercial nuclear facilities in the United States, and we also manufacture fuel for the highly successful Canadian nuclear power market," said Joe Miller, president of BWXT subsidiary BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC. "For approximately 40 years, BWXT has furnished nuclear fuel across numerous government and commercial markets, giving the company a unique and highly credible background from which to draw on as we review options for a potential new facility."

"This is an exciting step forward for Wyoming's growing nuclear industry and another example that Wyoming is not sitting idle in this competitive market," said Rob Creager, executive director of the Wyoming Energy Authority. "Evaluating the potential to fabricate fuel on Wyoming soil will bring us closer to creating a viable full nuclear industry that will add value to our already robust energy portfolio."

BWXT is the only US company to manufacture irradiation-tested uranium oxycarbide TRISO fuel using production-scale equipment. As a participant in the US Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy's Next Generation Nuclear Plant programme for more than 15 years, BWXT has developed the expertise to manufacture TRISO-coated kernels. Under the DOE's Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development Program, BWXT has manufactured and certified TRISO-coated kernels and fuel compacts in production-scale quantities at its Specialty Fuel Facility in Lynchburg, Virginia.

BWXT has been heavily engaged with the State of Wyoming in evaluating options for constructing and deploying micro-reactors in the state since 2023. The company is currently working on a contract with the Wyoming Energy Authority to assess the viability of deploying small modular reactors in the state as a source of resilient and reliable energy to augment existing power generation resources. It has also signed agreements with Wyoming-based businesses such as L&H Industrial, Tata Chemicals Soda Ash Partners LLC and others in support of the goal of micro-reactor deployment in the state.

"As part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy, the possibility of a nuclear fuel fabrication facility here in Wyoming is exciting," Governor Mark Gordon said. "As the world's energy demands continue to rise, Wyoming must stay focused on protecting our core industries while continually augmenting our sources of energy. Wyoming has it all. Nuclear has been a stalwart in our energy portfolio, and like coal, can start with raw materials mined in Wyoming, processed in Wyoming, and used in Wyoming. A true trifecta."

Article Link

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

President Biden signs ADVANCE Act into law
10 July 2024

The bipartisan Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act aims to incentivise and support the development and deployment of new advanced nuclear technologies, including measures to streamline the regulatory approvals process.


The ADVANCE Act at a glance

The ADVANCE Act, among other things, directs the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to look for ways to speed up its licensing process for new nuclear technology. It will reduce regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies, as well as creating a "prize" to incentivise the successful deployment of next-generation reactor technologies. It will also direct the NRC to enhance its ability to qualify and license accident-tolerant fuels and advanced nuclear fuels.

The act will also support the development of advanced nuclear reactors in other countries, empowering the NRC to lead in international forums to develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactors, and directing the US Department of Energy to improve its process for approving the export of US technology to international markets, while maintaining strong standards for nuclear non-proliferation.

Streamlining the regulatory process, with international cooperation and collaboration between stakeholders, is widely seen as a key factor to the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors and advanced nuclear fuels at the scale required to tackle climate change and energy security concerns.

The legislation's progress

The act was introduced in the Senate in March 2023 by Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Tom Carper and Sheldon Whitehouse, with co-sponsors including John Barrasso, Cory Booker, Mike Crapo, Lindsey Graham, Martin Heinrich, Mark Kelly and Jim Risch. It was passed by the Senate on 18 June as part of the Fire Grants and Safety Act (S. 870), by 88 votes to 2. The act was passed by the House earlier in May this year, by 393 votes to 13.

Carper, who is chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, described the passage of the act - with overwhelming bipartisan support - as a "major victory" for the climate and US energy security.

The last stage of the process was the US President signing the act into law, with President Joe Biden doing so on Tuesday, posting a photo on social media outlet X with the message: "Earlier, I signed the ADVANCE Act, a bipartisan win for American energy security, innovation, and achieving economy-wide, net-zero emissions by 2050. Clean nuclear power and good union jobs. That's what the ADVANCE Act will help deliver."

Carper called it a "momentous day for our climate and America's clean energy future ... this bipartisan law will strengthen our energy and national security, lower greenhouse gas emissions and create thousands of new jobs, while ensuring the continued safety of this zero-emissions energy source. I’m thankful to each of my colleagues who helped write and pass this bill and to President Biden for signing it into law”.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Congress Passes ADVANCE Act

Congress Passes ADVANCE Act to Facilitate U.S. Development of Advanced Nuclear Reactors

June 26, 2024

ADVANCE Act

Nuclear history has been made today!

Congress Passes Bill To Boost Nuclear Energy

It's all on nuclear.

US support for nuclear energy at record high, poll shows

Public support in the USA for nuclear energy is at a record high level, according to the latest survey by Bisconti Research Inc. The results show that for four years in a row, more than three-quarters of the US public said that they favoured the use of nuclear energy.



The National Nuclear Energy Public Opinion Survey - conducted between 30 April and 2 May - included 1000 nationally representative US adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, and was conducted by Bisconti with the Quest Mindshare Online Panel. The company has conducted national surveys on attitudes towards nuclear energy since 1983.

The poll found that 77% of respondents said they strongly, or somewhat, favoured the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity in the USA, while 23% were opposed.

"That is a sea-change from four decades ago, when the public was about evenly divided between those who favoured nuclear energy and those who were opposed," Bisconti said.

Opinions about licence renewal and constructing new reactors were also found to be "overwhelmingly favourable" in 2024 and have remained at the same high level for the past four years.

The survey found that 88% of the public agrees that the licences of nuclear power plants that continue to meet federal safety standards should be renewed. Bisconti said: "On this measure, the public has always viewed nuclear power plant licence renewal as similar to renewing a driver's licence - if you can drive safely, the licence should be renewed."

Support for constructing more nuclear power plants has grown, especially since 2021. The latest poll found 71% of respondents in favour of new reactors and 29% opposed.

"Those strongly favourable to nuclear energy outnumber those strongly opposed by 5 to 1," the company noted. "However, the majority do not have strong opinions. Nearly two-thirds somewhat favour or somewhat oppose nuclear energy; they are fence-sitters and have not yet made up their minds."

The level of knowledge about nuclear energy was determined in the survey by answers to 10 questions. Bisconti said many respondents failed the knowledge test. Two-thirds of the sample had low or somewhat low knowledge, and only 7% had high knowledge. The results showed "that the more people know about nuclear energy, the more strongly they favour this energy source - with a range of 14% (low knowledge group) to 70% (high knowledge group) who are strongly in favour".

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Framatome, TerraPower announce plans for HALEU metallisation plant

Framatome and TerraPower have agreed to design and develop a high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) metallisation pilot plant at Framatome's nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Richland, Washington.

Full Article


The Richland fuel manufacturing facility (Image: Framatome)

Metallisation is a crucial part of the deconversion process to turn enriched uranium hexafluoride - UF6 - into a form that can be used to fabricate HALEU fuel for advanced reactors. The pilot line is currently under construction and will demonstrate Framatome's capability to convert uranium dioxide into HALEU metal.

Framatome said the pilot line will initiate "a long-term collaboration to supply metal feedstock" and help Terrapower to develop a domestic supply chain for HALEU in the USA.

"This agreement advances fuel technologies for the nuclear energy industry and working pragmatically with TerraPower builds the trust and confidence our customers count on," said Ala Alzaben, senior vice president for North America Fuel at Framatome.

TerraPower's Natrium advanced nuclear power technology features a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. A Natrium demonstration plant is to be constructed near a retiring coal facility at Kemmerer in Wyoming.

A strong domestic fuel supply chain is crucial for the wide-scale deployment of advanced nuclear energy solutions, which are needed to meet clean energy targets and provide reliable, baseload energy, TerraPower President and CEO Chris Levesque said. "This investment by TerraPower into Framatome's pilot plant is a critical step in bringing advanced reactors like the Natrium technology to market," he added.

White House makes push for large nuclear reactors

Full Article

The White House wants to “reestablish U.S. leadership” in the nuclear power industry and jump-start a new generation of reactors that can be built more quickly and on budget.

Touting last month’s completion of the most expensive nuclear construction project in American history — the Plant Vogtle expansion in Georgia — the Biden administration pledged Wednesday to bring more federal support to nuclear megaprojects and the deployment of small-scale reactors.

President Joe Biden includes nuclear in a portfolio of carbon-free technology the administration has gotten behind to help meet its goal of eliminating climate pollution from the power sector by 2035.

Nuclear Energy’s Bottom Line

The United States used to build nuclear-power plants affordably. To meet our climate goals, we’ll need to learn how to do it again.



Full Article

DOE releases community guide on coal-to-nuclear conversion

Original Link

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released an information guide for communities considering replacing their retired or retiring coal power plants with nuclear power plants. The guide is based on a technical study that found transitioning from a coal plant to nuclear would bring local benefits including employment opportunities, increased revenues and economic activity.


The community guide features a rendering of TerraPower's Natrium project (Image: DOE)

Nearly 30% of the USA's coal plants are projected to retire by 2035, but pivoting away from carbon-emitting sources for electricity generation means economic uncertainty for the communities where those plants are situated, Coal-to-nuclear transitions: An information guide notes. But advanced small modular reactors are particularly well suited to replace coal plants, it says.

The report is based on an in-depth technical study prepared for the DOE, and builds on a 2022 DOE report highlighting the opportunities and challenges as coal communities consider converting to nuclear.

A nuclear power plant replacing a coal power plant would employ more people and create additional long-term jobs and increase total income in host communities, as well as increasing revenue for host communities, power plant operators, and local suppliers. In addition the study found that, with planning and support for training, most workers at an existing coal plant should be able to transition to work at a replacement nuclear plant.

The information guide "offers communities a high-level look at the economic impacts, workforce transition considerations, and policy and funding information relevant to a coal-to-nuclear transition", DOE said. It also provides utilities with a brief overview of considerations such as power requirements, project scope and timeline, and infrastructure reuse.

"As we work to transition to a net-zero economy, it's absolutely essential that we provide resources to energy communities and coal workers who have helped our nation's energy system for decades," said Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff.

The DOE's 2022 report identified 157 retired and 237 operating coal plants sites as potential candidates for a coal-to-nuclear - or C2N - transition, finding 80% of those potential sites to be suitable for hosting advanced nuclear power plants.

Advanced reactor developer TerraPower has already selected a location near a retiring coal plant for its first Natrium advanced reactor. It recently submitted an application to build the demonstration project at Kemmerer, Wyoming to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and plans to begin non-nuclear construction work later this year. Utility PacifiCorp, which operates the retiring Naughton coal plant at Kemmerer, last year added two further Natrium units to its future plans

Leaders commit to 'unlock potential' of nuclear energy at landmark summit

Leaders and representatives from 32 countries at the Nuclear Energy Summit backed measures in areas such as financing, technological innovation, regulatory cooperation and workforce training to enable the expansion of nuclear capacity to tackle climate change and boost energy security.


The summit photo had Brussels' Atomium as its backdrop (Image: Klaus Iohannis/X)

The summit of nuclear-backing countries was jointly organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium, where it was held. In his opening remarks, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that it had taken 70 years since US President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace United Nations speech for the first nuclear energy summit at the level of national leaders to be held.

He said that with the need for clean energy, "this is a global effort, the world needs us to get our act together" and ensure that international financial institutions can finance nuclear and increase nuclear energy capacity "in a safe, secure and non-proliferation way". He said "COP28 made it clear: to be pro-environment is to be pro-nuclear" and the summit "shows the nuclear taboo is over, starting a new chapter for nuclear commitment".

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander de Croo noted his country's change of policy - from closing nuclear plants to extending operation - and said it was increasingly recognised that nuclear had to be part of the mix, with renewables, if the net-zero goals were going to be met.

In a series of speeches from the leaders attending, the need for energy security and carbon-free energy was frequently referenced, with International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol saying that "without the support of nuclear power, we have no chance to reach our climate targets on time".
Extracts from the summit declaration


"We, the leaders of countries operating nuclear power plants, or expanding or embarking on or exploring the option of nuclear power ... reaffirm our strong commitment to nuclear energy as a key component of our global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both power and industrial sectors, ensure energy security, enhance energy resilience, and promote long-term sustainable development and clean energy transition.

"We are determined to do our utmost to fulfil this commitment through our active and direct engagement, in particular by enhancing cooperation with countries that opt to develop civil nuclear capacities in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a nationally determined manner, including for transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net-zero by mid-21st century in keeping with the science, as outlined in the First Global Stocktake of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference."

The declaration adds: "We commit to work to fully unlock the potential of nuclear energy by taking measures such as enabling conditions to support and competitively finance the lifetime extension of existing nuclear reactors, the construction of new nuclear power plants and the early deployment of advanced reactors, including small modular reactors, worldwide while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security, in accordance with respective national regulations and circumstances. In this drive for more clean energy and innovation, we commit to support all countries, especially emerging nuclear ones, in their capacities and efforts to add nuclear energy to their energy mixes consistent with their different national needs, priorities, pathways, and approaches and create a more open, fair, balanced and inclusive environment for their development of nuclear energy, including its non-electrical applications, and to continue effectively implementing safeguards, consistent with Member States’ national legislation and respective international obligations.

"We are committed to continuing our drive for technological innovation, further improving the operational performance, safety and economics of nuclear power plants, enhancing the resilience and security of global nuclear energy industrial and supply chains. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring safe, secure and sustainable spent nuclear fuel management, radioactive waste management and disposal, in particular deep geological disposal, and decommissioning, including decommissioning by design. We call for an intensified collective effort on ensuring the security of energy supply and resilience of individual, regional, and multinational clean energy resources.

"We are committed to creating a fair and open global market environment for nuclear power development to promote exchanges and cooperation among countries. We encourage nuclear regulators to enhance cooperation to enable timely deployment of advanced reactors, including small modular reactors. We emphasise the value of coordinated cooperation in nuclear fuel supply, nuclear power equipment manufacturing and resource security to ensure the stability of the nuclear energy industrial and supply chains."

"We support enhancing efforts to facilitate mobilisation of public investments, where appropriate, and private investments towards additional nuclear power projects. We emphasise that concrete measures in support of nuclear energy may include, as appropriate, tools such as direct public financing, guarantees to debt and equity providers, schemes to share revenue and pricing risks. We call for greater inclusion of nuclear energy in the Environmental, Social, and Governance policies in the international financial system ... we invite multinational development banks, international financial institutions and regional bodies that have the mandate to do so to consider strengthening their support for financing nuclear energy projects and to support the establishment of a financial level playing field for all zero emission sources of energy generation."

"To ensure the future availability of skilled nuclear sector professionals, we need to contribute further to nuclear education and research, and we consider of the utmost importance to train and retain a large and motivated workforce. Investment in skills, including re-skilling, through education and research is critical for the sector through the whole value chain."
What leaders said


The leaders and representatives of the countries attending the summit each gave short speeches. Here are some of the messages those attending heard.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, noted there were different views on nuclear within the European Union, and said the future was not assured for nuclear, citing a falling share of electricity generation in the EU since the 1990s. But she said it should play a crucial role given the urgency of tackling the climate challenge. She added that, assuming safety was assured, countries thinking of closing their existing nuclear power plants rather than extending their lifetimes should "consider their options carefully before foregoing a readily available source of low-emission electricity". She also urged innovation, noting a global "race" involving countries and companies backing small modular reactors, saying "let's go for it".

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said the country was determined to develop its nuclear energy programme with both large scale and small modular reactors and to become a regional leader, while Bulgaria's Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov noted his country's 50 years of experience in nuclear energy and said investment in new nuclear was a cornerstone for its future plans.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated the organisers for holding a summit which was "much more important than many meetings and gatherings bureaucratically organised just to see each other and not to do things". He said his country wanted to build three or four small modular reactors and would like to get the know-how to do so and also have support for finding a way to finance them - "as much help as possible".

The Chinese President's Special Envoy Vice Premier Zhong Guoqing, said China had 55 nuclear energy units in operation with 36 under construction and was assisting many other countries, all contributing to tackling global climate change. He said that it was a global issue, and said it was crucial to double down on safety and security and also "to oppose politicisation of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy".

Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said nuclear energy was crucial to achieve the net-zero goal and called for new nuclear financing to come from the European Investment Bank and other similar organisations, while Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala noted the benefits of long-term operation of existing plants for energy security, costs and climate targets and said "international cooperation will bring all of us bigger benefits".

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said nuclear was the only way of generating electricity which was cheap, safe, sustainable and reliable. His country has continued with its plans for the Russian-built Paks II nuclear power plant project and noted that companies from a number of countries in Europe, and the USA, were involved in the project. He said it was in everyone's interests to "prevent nuclear energy" becoming a "hostage of geopolitical hypocrisy and ideological debate".

FInland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said his country's next steps for nuclear included district heating, hydrogen production and a deep geological disposal site for radioactive waste, while the Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that for many years people had reservations about nuclear but views have changed, with the war in Ukraine "acting as an accelerator ... never before has it been so obvious that for the transition to succeed we need every source".

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said his government was planning to construct 1200 MW of new capacity and would be inviting the world's companies to bid for the contracts. Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob said public support for nuclear energy in his country was now above 65% - "it has never been higher". He said that financing was needed from multilateral banks at affordable rates, and also investment was needed in a new skilled workforce. He said global warming was the biggest threat and "we need to act immediately".

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country has large-scale nuclear expansion plans, welcomed the alliance for new nuclear, saying nuclear energy was the only way to reconcile the need to reduce emissions, create jobs and boost energy security. He added that many countries wanted to electrify mobility "but if the electricity is produced by fossil fuels it is a stupid move". He said there was a need to combine improving energy efficiency, and increase renewables as well as new nuclear.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said nuclear was prioritised within the country's power and climate change policy areas. He also said small modular reactors hold the promise of bringing nuclear energy to remote or hard to reach areas.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the Akkuyu nuclear power plant would meet 10% of the country's electricity demand when completed and the plan is for more large plants and SMRs. He also backed IAEA efforts to stop an accident happening at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. For Japan, Masahiro Komura, Parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, said it was essential to introduce clean energy to the greatest possible extent and to devise strategies to get more investment to enhance the use of nuclear energy.

For the USA, John Podesta Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy, Innovation and Implementation, said the summit was a 21st Century update for the Atoms for Peace vision, and referenced the commitment by countries at COP28 to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, which he said means 200 GW of new nuclear capacity in the USA. He said a start had already been made and added that the country would also aim to help tackle the climate crisis by helping other countries across the world "build safe, secure, reliable, nuclear power".
Which countries signed the declaration


Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, UK, and the USA.
Industry support for the summit


A number of industry representative groups issued a joint statement in which they welcomed the outcome of the summit, and "the commitment of the national leaders assembled to the development and deployment of nuclear energy to fight climate change, provide energy security, and drive sustainable economic development. We stand ready to work alongside governments to deliver the required nuclear capacity to meet the challenges ahead of us".

The statement from the groups - World Nuclear Association, Canadian Nuclear Association, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Korea Atomic Industrial Forum, Nuclear Energy Institute, Nucleareurope, and Nuclear Industry Association - said that industry needed governments to provide long-term policies and clarity for potential investors, as well as ensuring ready access to national and international climate finance mechanisms for nuclear deployment, and "promote development of the supply chain commensurate with expansion targets and continue investment in nuclear research".

World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León, said: “This meeting builds upon the good work at COP28, where we saw 25 governments come together and pledge a tripling of global nuclear capacity. As an industry we are here ready to meet the challenge and turn policies into projects to deliver the necessary nuclear energy expansion.”
What happens next?


A number of speakers at the event looked forward to similar future summits to continue to drive forward the initiative. De Croo and Grossi both said that the next summit would not necessarily need to be held in Belgium, and said it was unlikely to be an annual event, but the summit declaration concluded by saying: "We welcome and support the IAEA in convening, in cooperation with a Member State, another Nuclear Energy Summit in due course to maintain the momentum and continue building support for nuclear energy to decarbonise our world."

Extrusion demo is milestone for Lightbridge Fuel fabrication
18. March 2024

Original Link

The extrusion of samples of an alloy of depleted uranium and zirconium at Idaho National Laboratory is a critical step in the process to qualify Lightbridge Corporation's advanced nuclear fuel technology.

The post-extrusion uranium-zirconium rod (Image: INL)

The extrusion process involves pressing a metallic alloy billet through a die, as shown in a video shared by the company.

Lightbridge Extrusion Video

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Lightbridge will analyse the extruded rod to confirm the extrusion process parameters prior to producing future fuel samples using high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which will ultimately be used in the manufacture of Lightbridge Fuel.

Lightbridge Fuel is described by the company as a proprietary next-generation nuclear fuel technology for existing light water reactors and pressurised heavy water reactors which it says can significantly enhance reactor safety, economics, and proliferation resistance. The company is also developing Lightbridge Fuel for small modular reactors. Development of the fuel has received US federal support, with the award of two vouchers under the US Department of Energy's Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) programme. GAIN vouchers give advanced nuclear technology innovators access to the research capabilities and expertise available across the department's national laboratory complex.

The work at INL is part of Lightbridge's strategic partnership project and cooperative research and development agreements with Battelle Energy Alliance LLC, the Department of Energy's operating contractor for INL. The collaboration aims to generate irradiation performance data for Lightbridge's delta-phase uranium-zirconium alloy relating to various thermophysical properties, which the company says will support fuel performance modelling and regulatory licensing efforts for its commercial deployment.

"This achievement demonstrates the unique role that national laboratories, particularly INL, play in nuclear innovation and keeping the US as the global leader in nuclear energy," said Jess Gehin, INL associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

New-wave reactor technology could kick-start a nuclear renaissance

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/01/climate/nuclear-small-modular-reactors-us-russia-china-climate-solution-intl/index.html

US seeks proposals for domestic HALEU production

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for uranium enrichment services to help establish a reliable domestic supply of fuels using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). Such fuel is not currently commercially available from US-based suppliers.


(Image: DOE)

The current US commercial nuclear fuel cycle is based on reactor fuel that is enriched to no more than 5% U-235 (known as low-enriched uranium, LEU). Some of the advanced reactor technologies that are currently under development use HALEU fuel - enriched to between 5% and 20% U-235 - which enables the design of smaller reactors that produce more power with less fuel than the current fleet, as well as systems that can be optimised for longer core life, increased safety margins, and other increased efficiencies. At present, only Russia and China have the infrastructure to produce HALEU at scale.

DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy plans to award one or more contracts to produce HALEU from domestic uranium enrichment capabilities. Once enriched, the HALEU material will be stored on site until there is a need to ship it to deconverters.

Under the HALEU enrichment contracts - which have a maximum duration of 10 years - the government assures each contractor a minimum order value of USD2 million, to be fulfilled over the term of the contract. Enrichment and storage activities must occur in continental USA and comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. Proposals are due by 8 March.

This RFP incorporated industry feedback received on a draft version issued in June last year.

In total, President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act will provide up to USD500 million for HALEU enrichment contracts selected through this RFP and a separate one, released in November, for services to deconvert the uranium enriched through this RFP into metal, oxide, and other forms to be used as fuel for advanced reactors.

"Nuclear energy currently provides almost half of the nation's carbon-free power, and it will continue to play a significant part in transitioning to a clean energy future," said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. "President Biden's Investing in America is strengthening our national and energy security through the domestic buildup of a robust HALEU supply chain, helping bring advanced reactors online in time to combat the climate crisis."

"The Biden-Harris Administration knows that nuclear energy is essential to accelerating America's clean energy future," added Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. "Boosting our domestic uranium supply won't just advance President Biden's historic climate agenda, but also increase America's energy security, create good-paying union jobs, and strengthen our economic competitiveness."

DOE projects that more than 40 tonnes of HALEU could be needed before the end of the decade, with additional amounts required each year, to deploy a new fleet of advanced reactors in order to reach the current US Administration's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

DOE is supporting several activities to expand the HALEU supply chain for advanced commercial reactors, including recycling used nuclear fuel from government-owned research reactors. In November, DOE reached a key milestone under its HALEU Demonstration project when Centrus Energy produced the country's first 20 kilograms of HALEU.

Together, the USA, Canada, France, Japan and the UK have announced collective plans to mobilise USD4.2 billion in government-led spending to develop safe and secure nuclear energy supply chains.

Earlier this week, the UK government announced it will invest GBP300 million (USD381 million) to launch a HALEU programme, making it the first country in Europe to launch such a nuclear fuel programme.

In September, Orano revealed plans to extend enrichment capacity at its Georges Besse II (GB-II) uranium enrichment plant in France, and said it had begun the regulatory process to produce HALEU there.

Full Article Link

NRC approves HALEU transport package

NRC approves HALEU transport package

NAC International's patented Optimus-L packaging system to contain and transport high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuel has been approved by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Such fuel will be used in advanced reactors.


Optimus-L packages (Image: NAC)

The NRC issued a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) on 14 December, enabling NAC with the Optimus-L system (packaging and contents) to transport HALEU TRISO fuel compacts to support an advanced reactor project for a undisclosed customer.

"This is the first time the NRC has licensed high-capacity packagings (>500 lb payload) for HALEU TRISO fuel in the US and lays the foundation for future licensing of NAC's Optimus systems to carry other HALEU contents," NAC noted.

TRISO fuel comprises spherical kernels of enriched uranium oxycarbide (or uranium dioxide) surrounded by layers of carbon and silicon carbide, giving a containment for fission products which is stable up to very high temperatures. HALEU TRISO fuels are being considered as the preferred fuel in several advanced reactor designs currently under development.

The Optimus-L is a lightweight, versatile and modular nuclear materials packaging system first licensed by the NRC in December 2021. NAC developed Optimus as a platform that can be easily expanded and optimised for multiple types of nuclear materials using the company's proprietary methodologies. NAC said it plans on leveraging this platform to include a range of HALEU forms and design configurations to support future HALEU material packaging and transportation projects.

"The approval of high-capacity packaging systems like Optimus-L for these types of fuel supports the development of a robust HALEU infrastructure to ensure material movement is not a limiting factor in modern nuclear power development," NAC said. "When compared to smaller capacity drum packages that would require an excessive number of packagings and significantly more handling effort per conveyance trailer, the Optimus-L offers a highly competitive solution to economically ship commercial quantities of HALEU materials with fewer packagings."

"We are pleased to achieve this milestone - NRC certification for our unequaled Optimus-L system to incorporate HALEU TRISO contents," said NAC President and CEO Kent Cole. "Receiving this CoC supports our objective of offering high-capacity and high-efficiency HALEU transportation to support commercial shipments.

"This amendment opens the door for other future HALEU contents in the Optimus-L platform. This certification is an important milestone on our HALEU packaging technology roadmap, and by offering efficient HALEU packaging and transportation, we are doing our part to help build a robust HALEU fuel cycle."

Biden To Help U.S. Break Russia's HALEU Monopoly

Biden Offers Companies Millions To Help U.S. Break Russia's Monopoly On HALEU


Workers at the Ohio-based nuclear enricher Centrus erecting a centrifuge for producing HALEU

The Biden administration showed up to last month’s global climate summit in Dubai with a radical new plan to replace coal and compete again with Russia and China over a technology American scientists pioneered.

The United States led nearly two dozen other nations in a pledge to triple the world’s supply of nuclear power by 2050. While most of the reactors under construction in other countries today are Russian models, the U.S. promoted its growing slate of high-tech startups with cutting-edge reactor designs as an American alternative to working with the Kremlin.

The big problem with that pitch? The small, next-generation nuclear reactors companies like the one billionaire Bill Gates backs are designed to run on a potent but rare type of uranium fuel with only one commercial supplier on the market: the Russian government.

Last autumn, a facility in Ohio began the nation’s first domestic production of what’s called high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU (pronounced HAY-loo). But it’s still at a small scale.

Now the Biden administration is trying to entice more companies into the market.

On Tuesday, the Department of Energy offered private companies a minimum of $2 million each to start producing HALEU domestically, the second part of a $500 million tranche of federal dollars for nuclear fuel production from President Joe Biden’s climate-spending law, the Inflation Reduction Act. The agency announced the first for a separate part of the HALEU-making process in November.

“Boosting our domestic uranium supply won’t just advance President Biden’s historic climate agenda,” Ali Zaidi, Biden’s national climate adviser, said in a statement, “but also increase America’s energy security, create good-paying union jobs, and strengthen our economic competitiveness.”


Biden's national climate adviser Ali Zaidi hailed the latest funding for HALEU production

All 93 atom-splitting machines operating at U.S. power plants today are conventional light-water reactors based on the technology first commercialized in the 1950s to harness the tremendous heat released from fission reactions to boil water that makes steam that spins turbines to generate huge volumes of nonstop zero-carbon electricity.

Light-water reactors are only built to handle fuel made from uranium enriched up to 5% using high-speed gas centrifuges into the unstable uranium-235 isotope needed for a sustained fission reaction. Many of the “advanced” reactors now vying for regulatory approval in the U.S. are instead designed to handle fuel enriched up to 20%, meaning the technology uses four times as much of the energy per unit of uranium as the traditional variety.

While the U.S. and its allies levied unprecedented sanctions on Russia’s oil, gas and mining companies after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s state-owned Rosatom remains immune as the fourth-largest source of traditional fuel imports for American utilities.

That may not be true forever. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last month passed legislation calling on the U.S. to ban imports of Russian uranium.

The U.S. used to produce most of its own reactor fuel. As part of the 1990s, a Clinton-era deal encouraged the struggling post-Soviet Russia to dismantle its nuclear weapons, however, the U.S. agreed to buy any reactor fuel made from weapons. The cheap supply of Russian fuel put U.S. enrichers out of business, with the last facility closing down a decade ago.

Existing reactors have alternatives to Russia.

Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia ? the top three suppliers of uranium to the U.S., respectively ? are all looking to increase mining. France’s state-owned uranium company, Orano, announced plans in October to increase enriched fuel production by 30%. Three new uranium mines entered into production in Arizona and Utah in just the past few months.

But next-generation reactors that need HALEU suffer from a classic chicken-versus-egg problem. Who can confidently invest in building a first-of-a-kind reactor that needs Russian fuel while the U.S. is trading barbs with Moscow? Who can confidently invest in enriching fuel for reactors that don’t currently exist and are not yet even licensed in the U.S.?

The federal government is providing an answer to both by pumping billions into propping up advanced reactors and fuel production in hopes they can advance simultaneously in time for the projected start of the new nuclear rollout at the start of the 2030s.

But Edward McGinnis, who spent 30 years working on nuclear power at the Energy Department before becoming the chief executive of the fuel-recycling startup Curio, said the Biden administration is overlooking a vital potential source of HALEU: nuclear waste.


In the background, the COGEMA factory rises from the landscape.

The spent rods of uranium pellets that come out of traditional reactors after a two-year fuel cycle still contain as much as 97% of their energy ? which is why the material remains dangerously radioactive for so long. Companies like Curio want to use special tools to separate all the different radioactive isotopes out of nuclear waste, dramatically reducing how much toxic material needs to be stored long term and increasing the domestic supply of reactor fuel.

Recycling nuclear waste is a complicated process that the U.S. government feared in the 1970s would increase the supply of radioactive materials for weapons, banning the nation’s first facility from opening. France, Russia and Japan all built plants to reprocess uranium fuel. While the U.S. lifted its ban on nuclear recycling in 2005, no company has yet made a serious attempt to build a new facility.

The IRA legislation that provided the new funding for HALEU production did not include recycling nuclear waste.

The draft letter of the Energy Department’s latest request for proposals for enriching HALEU states on page 8 that the uranium used to make the fuel “must have been mined and converted, and not come from a source that was recycled or reprocessed.”

“Some people don’t realize when we’re saying we need to support HALEU that recycling can be one of the two solid legs of our future nuclear fuel domestic production capability,” McGinnis said by phone Tuesday.

The main federal effort for funding nuclear waste recycling is the Energy Department’s experimental ARPA-E program, which in 2022 gave out $38 million to companies and laboratories for research, including $5 million to Curio.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), who chairs the House’s appropriations subcommittee on water and energy, tacked $15 million for reprocessing uranium fuel onto the latest federal budget proposal to help companies advance beyond the research phase into licensing and locating an actual plant.

McGinnis said the U.S. hasn’t even considered spending that kind of money deploying nuclear waste recycling in at least 15 years. He called on the Senate and White House to champion the measure in budget talks.

“You’re not only complementing the traditional uranium mining, you’re also, by extracting from our so-called nuclear waste, solving to a large degree the nuclear waste problem at the same time,” he said. “It’s a win-win.”

NuScale Lays Off Nearly Half Its Workforce

NuScale is the second major U.S. reactor company to cut jobs in recent months.

Almost exactly one year ago, NuScale Power made history as the first of a new generation of nuclear energy startups to win regulatory approval of its reactor design ? just in time for the Biden administration to begin pumping billions of federal dollars into turning around the nation’s atomic energy industry.

But as mounting costs and the cancellation of its landmark first power plant have burned through shrinking cash reserves, the Oregon-based company is laying off as much 40% of its workforce, HuffPost has learned.

At a virtual all-hands meeting Friday afternoon, the company announced the job cuts to remaining employees. HuffPost reviewed the audio of the meeting. Two sources with direct knowledge of NuScale’s plans confirmed the details of the layoffs.

By Friday evening, NuScale’s stock price had plunged more than 8% as investors sold off shares. NuScale did not respond to a call, an email or a text message seeking comment.

Surging construction costs are imperiling clean energy across the country. In just the past two months, developers have pulled the plug on major offshore wind farms in New Jersey and New York after state officials refused to let companies rebid for contracts at a higher rate.

But the financial headwinds are taking an especially acute toll on nuclear power. It takes more than a decade to build a reactor, and the only new ones under construction in the U.S. and Europe went billions of dollars over budget in the past two decades. Many in the atomic energy industry are betting that small modular reactors ? shrunken down, lower-power units with a uniform design ? can make it cheaper and easier to build new nuclear plants through assembly-line repetition.

The U.S. government is banking on that strategy to meet its climate goals. The Biden administration spearheaded a pledge to triple atomic energy production worldwide in the next three decades at the United Nations’ climate summit in Dubai last month, enlisting dozens of partner nations in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The two infrastructure-spending laws that President Joe Biden signed in recent years earmark billions in spending to develop new reactors and keep existing plants open. And new bills in Congress to speed up U.S. nuclear deployments and sell more American reactors abroad are virtually all bipartisan, with progressives and right-wing Republicans alike expressing support for atomic energy.


A rendering from the Idaho National Laboratory shows what NuScale's debut power plant was supposed to look like.

But the U.S. trails rivals like China and Russia in deploying new types of reactors, including those based on technologies that scientists working for the federal government first developed.

Until November, NuScale appeared on track to debut the nation’s first atomic energy station powered with small modular reactors. But the project to build a dozen reactors in the Idaho desert, and sell the electricity to ratepayers across the Western U.S. through a Utah state-owned utility, was abandoned as rising interest rates made it harder for NuScale to woo investors willing to bet on something as risky a first-of-its-kind nuclear plant.

In 2022, NuScale went public via a SPAC deal, a type of merger that became a popular way for debt-laden startups to pay back venture capitalists with a swifter-than-usual initial public offering on the stock market.

In its latest quarterly earnings, NuScale reported just under $200 million in cash reserves, nearly 40% of which was tied up in restricted accounts.

On a call with analysts in November, Ramsey Hamady, NuScale’s chief financial officer, said the firm expected to “take in about $50 million worth of cash from customers from work that we do.”

But the firm spent more than that in the previous three-month cycle ? a function, the executive said, of how project costs fluctuate regularly.

“This isn’t just a fixed-expense business. There’s variable expense, and there’s a lot of discretionary spending,” Hamady said. “We spend more as we have contracts, and we pull in our spending as contracts either get pushed out or delayed or whether we want to focus more on discretionary spend or nondiscretionary spend.”

Enrichment operations start at US HALEU plant

Enrichment operations start at US HALEU plant

US nuclear fuel and services company Centrus Energy Corp has begun enrichment operations at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio. The company said it expects to begin withdrawing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) product later this month.


The HALEU cascade at the Piketon site

Centrus said the American Centrifuge Plant is the only HALEU facility in the USA licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the first new US-owned, US-technology uranium enrichment plant to begin production since 1954.

"This moment holds great pride - and promise - for the nation," said Centrus President and CEO Daniel Poneman. "We hope that this demonstration cascade will soon be joined by thousands of additional centrifuges right here in Piketon to produce the HALEU needed to fuel the next generation of advanced reactors, low-enriched-uranium to sustain the existing fleet of reactors, and the enriched uranium needed to sustain our nuclear deterrent for generations to come. This is how the United States can recover its lost nuclear independence."

HALEU fuel contains uranium enriched to between 5% and 20% uranium-235 - higher than the uranium fuel used in light-water reactors currently in operation, which typically contains up to 5% uranium-235. It will be needed by most of the advanced reactor designs being developed under the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The lack of a commercial supply chain to support these reactors has prompted the DOE to launch a programme to stimulate the development of a domestic source of HALEU.

Centrus began construction of the demonstration cascade of 16 centrifuges in 2019 under contract with the DOE, and last year secured a further USD150 million of cost-shared funding to finish the cascade, complete final regulatory steps, begin operating the cascade, and produce up to 20 kg of HALEU by the end of this year.

In June, Centrus announced it had successfully completed its operational readiness reviews with the NRC and received approval from the regulator to possess uranium at the Piketon site - the last major regulatory hurdle prior to beginning production.

Since then, Centrus has been conducting final system tests and other preparations so that production could begin.

The company noted it met every required milestone on time and on budget during construction of the cascade and is starting production two months earlier than scheduled under the competitively-awarded, cost-shared contract the company signed with the DOE in 2022.

Centrus said the capacity of the 16-centrifuge cascade is modest - about 900 kilograms of HALEU per year - but with sufficient funding and offtake commitments, the company could significantly expand production. It says a full-scale HALEU cascade, consisting of 120 centrifuge machines, with a combined capacity to produce some 6000 kilograms of HALEU per year, could be brought online within about 42 months of securing the necessary funding. Centrus said it could add a second HALEU cascade six months later and subsequent cascades every two months after that.

Operations begin at US chloride salt test system

Operations begin at US chloride salt test system

Southern Company, TerraPower and Core Power have started pumped-salt operations in the Integrated Effects Test (IET) facility at TerraPower's laboratory in Everett, Washington. The IET will be used in the development of the Molten Chloride Fast Reactor.


The Integrated Effects Test (Image: Southern Company)

The IET is a multi-loop test facility that builds off a series of smaller testing campaigns to inform its design. The non-nuclear system is heated by an external power source. Data from operation of the test will be used to help validate the thermal hydraulics and safety analysis codes needed to demonstrate molten salt reactor systems.

The project was initiated by Southern and TerraPower under the US Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Concepts (ARC-15) award, a multi-year effort to promote the design, construction and operation of Generation-IV nuclear reactors. The project team also includes Core Power, the Electric Power Research Institute, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Vanderbilt University. The programme represents a USD76 million total project investment with a 60%-40% public-private cost share.

Construction and installation of the IET facility was completed in October last year. Since then, the project team has completed mechanical, electrical and controls verification and commissioned all systems. Commissioning employed hot argon and chloride salts to confirm readiness, including filling and flushing of drain tanks and verifying operation of freeze valves - a unique and important component for salt systems.

Chloride salt has now been loaded into the primary coolant salt loops and pumped-salt operations have begun. A multi-month test campaign will provide valuable salt operations data and know-how for the Molten Chloride Fast Reactor programme.

"The Molten Chloride Fast Reactor has the potential to meet the carbon-free needs of hard-to-decarbonise industrial sectors including and beyond electricity," said Jeff Latkowski, TerraPower senior vice president for the Molten Chloride Fast Reactor. "The Integrated Effects Test will help us gather and evaluate data to support the development of our technology, and we are excited to launch pumped-salt operations."

The IET also supports the development and operation of the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment at INL, a proof-of-concept critical fast-spectrum salt reactor. At less than 200 kW, the reactor will provide experimental and operational data.

Both the IET and the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment will inform the design, licensing and operation of an approximately 180 MW Molten Chloride Fast Reactor demonstration planned for the early 2030s time frame.

"Southern Company believes the next generation of nuclear power holds promise in providing an affordable and sustainable net-zero future that includes reliable, resilient and dispatchable clean energy for customers,” said Mark Berry, Southern Company Services senior vice president of research and development. "It's exciting to see each new landmark in the Integrated Effects Test, as it helps our nation rebuild lost molten salt reactor knowledge."

"The start-up of the Integrated Effects Test is a milestone achievement in the development of the first fast-spectrum molten salt reactor, and we are immensely proud to contribute to its success," said Core Power President and CEO Mikal Bøe. "The Integrated Effects Test allows us to collect that crucial last-mile data for a design and build of the Molten Chloride Fast Reactor and takes the team one step closer to a genuinely unique way to do new nuclear that is appropriate for the commercial marine environment."

TerraPower's MCFR technology uses molten chloride salt as both reactor coolant and fuel, allowing for so-called fast spectrum operation which the company says makes the fission reaction more efficient. It operates at higher temperatures than conventional reactors, generating electricity more efficiently, and also offers potential for process heat applications and thermal storage. An iteration of the MCFR - known as the m-MSR - intended for marine use is being developed.

TerraPower is also developing Natrium technology - featuring a sodium fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage system - a demonstration plant for which is to be built at Kemmerer in Wyoming.

That applies to most politicians...

World needs nuclear for net zero, says John Kerry

World needs nuclear for net zero

Nuclear will be essential for the world to accelerate its transition away from fossil fuels, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said at a New York summit this week. He also praised the recently launched Net Zero Nuclear Initiative - which has now welcomed GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) as its first corporate partner.

Kerry addresses the summit on 18 September.

Kerry was addressing the first day of Nuclear Energy Policy Summit 2023: Accelerating Net Zero Nuclear, an inaugural event organised by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center in partnership with the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation on the sidelines of New York Climate Week and the United Nations General Assembly.

Extreme weather events are only going to increase as the world falls behind on its climate targets, Kerry said, as he called for science-based decision-making. "The reality is that this year it's going to be worse than last year, and next year is going to be worse than this year, no matter what we do - for the simple reason that we're way behind," he said. "We're currently heading towards something like 2.4 degrees, 2.5 degrees of warming on the planet and everything that you see happening today is happening at 1.1 degrees Celsius of warming," he said.

"We have to recognise a reality here. We have to transition away from unabated burning of fossil fuel," Kerry said.

"Most scientists will tell you … we can't get to net zero 2050 unless we have a pot, a mixture, of energy approaches in the new energy economy. And one of those elements which is essential in all the modelling I've seen, is nuclear."

The magnitude of the challenge will require commitment, he added. "Even if you had a quintupling of renewable energy, you will not alter the current course of 2.4 degrees - it's that big a challenge right now." This needs commitment firstly "not to keep making the problem worse" by supporting the use of fossil fuels which remain unabated, and secondly to accelerate all zero emissions or extremely low emissions approaches to energy, transportation and ultimately heavy industry: "We don't have the luxury of unilaterally disarming ourselves … with respect to any decarbonisation technology when we're facing the urgency of this crisis - it's all of the above we need on the table."

The USA is now committed, "based on experience and based on reality", to trying to accelerate the deployment of nuclear energy, he said. "It's what we believe we absolutely need in order to win this battle and we believe we still can win this battle".

The COP28 climate conference - which takes place in Dubai from 30 November until 12 December - is an opportunity to try to galvanise more action, and Kerry said he was pleased to see the launch of the "pioneering" Net Zero Nuclear platform. This initiative was launched in early September by World Nuclear Association and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Atoms4NetZero and the UK government, and aims to ensure that nuclear energy’s potential is fully realised in facilitating the decarbonisation of global energy systems by promoting the value of nuclear energy and removing barriers to its growth especially in the run-up to COP28.

Speaking after Kerry's address to Nuclear Energy Policy Summit 2023, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y Léon announced that GEH has become Net Zero Nuclear's first corporate partner.

"We do want to make sure that this initiative brings the entire global nuclear industry together," Bilbao y Léon said. GE's decision to join the initiative clearly shows that the company - which works in a number of clean energy technologies - "sees nuclear as a key component of any serious energy transition towards clean energy processes," she added.

Centrus brings forward HALEU production date

Centrus brings forward HALEU production date

US nuclear fuel and services company Centrus Energy Corp announced that it expects to begin first-of-a-kind production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, in October - about two months ahead of schedule.


The Piketon centrifuge cascade (Image: Centrus)

HALEU fuel contains uranium enriched to between 5% and 20% uranium-235 - higher than the uranium fuel used in light-water reactors currently in operation, which typically contains up to 5% uranium-235. It will be needed by most of the advanced reactor designs being developed under the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. But the lack of a commercial supply chain to support these reactors has prompted the DOE to launch a programme to stimulate the development of a domestic source of HALEU.

Centrus began construction of the demonstration cascade of 16 centrifuges in 2019 under contract with the DOE, and last year secured a further USD150 million of cost-shared funding to finish the cascade, complete final regulatory steps, begin operating the cascade, and produce up to 20 kg of HALEU by the end of this year.

In June, Centrus announced it had successfully completed its operational readiness reviews with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and received NRC approval to possess uranium at the Piketon site - the last major regulatory hurdle prior to beginning production.

Centrus is now conducting final system tests and other preparations so that production can begin in October.

"This will be the first new US-owned uranium enrichment plant to begin production since 1954," said Centrus President and CEO Daniel Poneman. "What better way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of President Eisenhower's historic Atoms for Peace initiative than to restore a domestic uranium enrichment capability that will support our energy security and clean power needs, enable long-term national security and non-proliferation goals, and generate great new jobs for American workers."

Centrus said the capacity of the 16-centrifuge cascade will be modest - about 900 kilograms of HALEU per year - but with sufficient funding and offtake commitments, the company could significantly expand production. It says a full-scale HALEU cascade, consisting of 120 centrifuge machines, with a combined capacity to produce approximately 6000 kilograms of HALEU per year, could be brought online within about 42 months of securing the necessary funding. Centrus said it could add an additional HALEU cascade every six months after that.

DOE Nuclear Energy link...

U.S. Department of Energy to Acquire High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium Material

Better now than never....

Previous administrations (Trump/Pence-Bush/Cheney) simply didn't care....since they were in the pockets of US fossil fuel corporations.
It's no secret,

Biden-Harris finally got things going without making big speeches.

[url][/url][tag]https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/us-department-energy-acquire-high-assay-low-enriched-uranium-material[/tag]

Some people talk a lot.... others take action

Oklo and Centrus Energy broaden links with MoU

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Oklo-and-Centrus-Energy-broaden-links-with-MoU

Advanced reactor plant developer Oklo has expanded its partnership with Centrus Energy with a memorandum of understanding covering the development of the Aurora powerhouses and High-Assay, Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel supply.

How an Aurora powerhouse could look (Image: Oklo/Gensler)

U.S. Inches Closer To Breaking Russia’s Monopoly On HALEU Fuel

The Putin government's control over a special nuclear fuel has rattled the West's atomic industry.
New deals show the U.S. is finally trying to catch up.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/centrus-oklo-nuclear_n_64ebc564e4b0d17252144d32

U.S. is inching closer to breaking the Kremlin’s monopoly.

On Monday, the Ohio-based Centrus Energy announced a deal to supply the California-based reactor startup Oklo Inc. with a fuel known as high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU.

Pronounced HAY-loo, the fuel compares to traditional reactor fuel the way a heady Belgian ale might stack up to a Miller Lite. The old-school, large-scale reactors that comprise the entire U.S. fleet can’t stomach HALEU, which is enriched to the point where as much as 20% of the uranium atoms can be split, as opposed to the typical stuff that maxes out at 5%. But the sleek new reactor technologies companies like Oklo, Bill Gates-backed TerraPower and the Maryland-based X-energy hope to bring to market in the coming years run on that stronger stuff.

As it is, the U.S. produces just 5% of its own traditional reactor fuel from a New Mexico facility owned by Urenco, a consortium jointly owned by the British, German and Dutch governments. It’s been difficult enough to get more domestic production up and running for that fuel, much less convince private investors to spend billions of dollars on facilities to manufacture fuel for reactors that don’t even exist yet.

This has created a “chicken-and-egg problem,” said Dan Leistikow, the vice president of communications at Centrus.

“It’s very difficult to sell reactors without a domestic fuel supply,” he said in an interview Sunday. “But it’s very difficult to put the investment together to build the fuel supply until there’s a base of customers.”

Making matters tougher, the energy-intensive “gaseous diffusion” technology once used to enrich uranium went out of fashion. Countries like France and Russia built what are called centrifuges, cylindrical machines that spin gasified uranium at extremely high speeds to turn the metal from its natural form into the unstable radioactive isotope that can be easily split in a fission reaction. But the U.S. simply lets its old enrichment industry shut down without investing in anything new.

Centrus ? which was born out of the Manhattan Project and split from the federal government to become a private company in 1992 ? has been slowly working to change that, building a pilot facility in Piketon, Ohio, that in June got the first stamp of approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. But the company has yet to receive enough investment to expand to full capacity.

Once that demand lines up, things could move quickly, Leistikow said. It would take 3 1/2 years to get enough centrifuges up and running to produce 6 metric tons of HALEU per year. But the company said it could roughly double its capacity every six months after that with the right amount of money flowing to it.

Democrats earmarked roughly $700 million in President Joe Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act climate law for producing HALEU at home. But Leistikow said that amounts to a down payment.

‘America First 2.0’: Vivek Ramaswamy

Looks like he can "fix it"... LOL

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/19/vivek-ramaswamy-republican-presidential-nomination-candidate

In reality: Just another clown on the stage...

Vivek Ramaswamy is a performer, not a presidential candidate

Another "con-artist" for people who "believe" stuff instead of actually knowing things.

Fast talk... big mouth....and a lot of hot air

Just like the Trump Show: "Believe me... I alone can fix it"

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/vivek-ramaswamy-is-a-performer-not-a-presidential-candidate

"gastroenterolgist of political specialists"??? LOL

He needs one... because he's full of sh*t.

People are so gullible in this country...

SCARY

U.S. Marks Major Nuclear Milestone

As Georgia Reactor Enters Commercial Operation

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nuclear-vogtle_n_64c7f768e4b03ad2b89a08f7

The first new nuclear reactor built from scratch in the United States in a generation entered commercial operation on Monday following years of billion-dollar delays.

It’s a milestone moment that advocates hope will whet the nation’s appetite for more atomic power plants ? and reopen a fresh debate over what kinds of reactor technologies the U.S. should prioritize.

After 14 years of construction and financial woes that at one point bankrupted the legendary nuclear firm Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Unit 3 of Southern Company’s Alvin W. Vogtle Generating Plant split its first uranium atoms in March. With its final tests completed, the 1,100-megawatt reactor began full-scale electricity production this week near Georgia’s border with South Carolina.

HALEU supply plans detailed in DOE draft solicitations and scoping notice

HALEU supply plans detailed in DOE draft

Statement of need: The DOE estimates that more than 40 metric tons of HALEU could be needed by the end of the decade, with additional HALEU required each year to fuel a fleet of advanced reactors.

“We must jump-start a commercial-scale, domestic supply chain for HALEU,” said Kathryn Huff, assistant secretary for nuclear energy. “Acquiring these services in the United States will reduce reliance on Russia, create American jobs, and support U.S. climate and energy security goals.”

The HALEU Availability Program was authorized by the Energy Act of 2020 to ensure HALEU will be available to support civilian domestic research, development, demonstration, and commercial use. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provided $700 million for the program. From those funds, $500 million is earmarked to help establish a sustainable commercial supply chain for HALEU. The program will prioritize environmental justice issues and “be responsive to President Biden's Justice40 Initiative,” according to the DOE.

The DOE’s notice of intent provides more information and explains that “initial sources of uranium to meet the requirements of the [program] could be existing DOE stockpiles of highly enriched uranium (HEU) that would be processed or downblended into HALEU.” Those activities are both outside of the proposed action and already “covered by separate existing or pending NEPA documentation.”

The private-sector HALEU supply chain that the draft RFPs are designed to build would help ensure that HALEU is available once DOE HEU stockpiles are depleted. As stated in the notice of intent, “As DOE stockpiles are depleted, production would need to be supplemented by or transition to commercially operated facilities. To accelerate development of a sustainable commercial HALEU supply capability, an initial public/private partnership is recommended to address the high-fidelity (high-confidence demand) HALEU market (e.g., fuel for demonstration reactors) plus a percentage of the projected commercial demand for power reactors.”

Divide and conquer: There are several steps along the way from mined uranium to reactor-ready HALEU fuel, and the RFPs split those front-end activities into two parts, loosely labeled enrichment and deconversion. The enrichment RFP includes mining and milling, conversion, enrichment (which may be performed at two separate locations), and storage of UF6. The deconversion RFP includes transportation of enriched UF6, deconversion to oxide and metal, and storage. Under both RFPs, the DOE may award one or multiple contracts.

Oliver Stone Wants To Atone For Hollywood’s Sins Against Nuclear Energy

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oliver-stone-nuclear_n_645571dfe4b0e58960e454da

“Look at the horror films of the 1950s.
My business, the film business, did no favors to nuclear at all.
You saw monsters everywhere. People get these crazy ideas.
This is what fear does to a society. It ruins progress.”
(Oliver Stone)

Oliver Stone is bringing “Nuclear Now” to select theaters

https://nei.org/news/2023/coming-to-a-theater-near-you-nuclear-now

Now playing in theaters nationwide!