The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) has awarded six contracts to support the US domestic supply chain for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) under the Investing in America Agenda. Many advanced reactors will require HALEU to achieve smaller designs, longer operating cycles, and increased efficiencies over current technologies, NE noted. The contracts will allow selected companies to bid on work for deconversion services, a critical component of the HALEU supply chain.
All contracts will last for up to 10 years with each awardee receiving a minimum contract of $2m, with up to $800m available for these services, subject to the availability of appropriations. Selected companies include: BWX Technologies (BWXT), Centrus Energy, Framatome Inc, GE Vernova, Orano USA and Westinghouse.
The HALEU that DOE acquires through these contracts will be used to support reactors such as those under development through DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) – TerraPower’s Natrium reactor and X-energy’s Xe-100.
HALEU deconversion is a critical step in the fuel supply chain for advanced reactors. HALEU is uranium enriched between 5% and 20%, makes the fuel more efficient. After enrichment, which is performed while in gaseous uranium hexafluoride form, the material needs to be deconverted to oxide or metal forms that are fabricated into fuel for advanced reactors.
The US currently lacks commercial HALEU enrichment and deconversion services to support the deployment of advanced reactors. DOE also plans to award contracts for enrichment services to support the full breadth of the HALEU supply chain.
“Building a strong, reliable domestic nuclear fuel supply chain will help our nation reach the President and Vice President’s ambitious climate goals while also protecting the environment and creating good-paying, high-quality jobs,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy David M Turk. He added that the contracts underscore the Administration’s “continued commitment to strengthening our energy and national security by our eliminating America’s reliance on Russian uranium for civil nuclear power”.
Welcoming the award, Framatome Inc CEO Tony Robinson said: “This investment from the DOE demonstrates its commitment to the nuclear energy industry and, coupled with the proactive work we have performed over the last two years, provides advanced reactor developers confidence to select Framatome as their supplier of choice.” Framatome patented its dry conversion process in 1989 at its Richland, Washington, facility. “For more than 30 years, this environmentally friendly process has been utilised for commercial nuclear fuel production and is the foundation for producing HALEU for advanced reactors,” the company noted.
“We are proud to be selected by the DOE to participate in this programme and for the opportunity to apply our decades of deconversion expertise to developing fuel for Gen-IV reactors in the US,” said Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO of Orano USA. “Our team of expert companies represents the full range of capabilities needed for success and certainty of project delivery, plus the benefits from our strong relationships with community partners. The team led by Orano Federal Services (Orano FS) included Fluor, Spectra Tech, Shine Technologies (SHINE), and others.
Centrus President and CEO Amir Vexler said: “This award is a critical piece of the puzzle in building an advanced nuclear fuel supply chain to support the next generation of reactors. More broadly, this award is an important step toward expanding and diversifying the capabilities of our Ohio facility. As the only US-owned, US technology enrichment company, Centrus looks forward to leading the effort to reclaim America’s nuclear fuel leadership – with American technology, built by American workers.”
BWXT and Westinghouse simply acknowledged that they had been selected for the awards while GNF’s Executive Vice President Mike Chilton said: “We are pleased to be selected for this important work that will help develop the fuel supply chain for the next generation of US reactors”.
