The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $11m in awards to five US companies to develop transportation packages for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). The awards will support industry-led efforts to design, modify, and license transportation packages through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). These investments are intended to support the establishment of long-term, economical HALEU transport capabilities that better serve domestic reactor developers and strengthen the US nuclear supply chain.
The following companies were selected to develop long-term economic solutions for the safe transport of HALEU through two topic areas: Topic Area 1 to develop new package designs that can be licensed by the NRC; and Topic Area 2 to modify existing design packages for NRC certification.
Companies selected for Topic Area 1 include NAC International, Westinghouse Electric Company, Container Technologies Industries, American Centrifuge Operating and Paragon D&E. These projects will have performance periods of up to three years. NAC International was also selected for Topic Area 2 in which projects will have a performance period of up to two years.
Funding is provided through DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, established under the Energy Act to support civilian research, development, demonstration, and commercial use of HALEU. DOE is pursuing several pathways to secure a domestic supply of HALEU, which is enriched with uranium-235 (U-235) to concentrations between 5% and 20%. It is crucial for next-generation reactors because its higher enrichment enables smaller reactor designs and longer intervals between refuelings. Compared with traditional reactor fuel (enriched to 3-5% U-235), HALEU can produce more energy per unit and generate less waste
The Energy Act of 2020 directed the establishment of the HALEU Availability Program to ensure access to HALEU for civilian domestic research, development, demonstration, and commercial use. The program supports the Trump Administration’s efforts to rapidly deploy new reactors in the United States.
HALEU is currently only produced commercially in Russia and is not available from domestic suppliers. Gaps in supply could delay the deployment of advanced reactors. The HALEU Availability Program will acquire HALEU through purchase agreements with domestic industry partners and produce limited initial amounts of material from DOE-owned assets. It is intended to spur demand for additional HALEU production and private investment in US nuclear fuel supply infrastructure, ultimately removing the federal government’s initial role as a supplier.
The awards were announced during Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s visit to Idaho National Laboratory (INL), marking the final stop in his ongoing tour of all 17 DOE National Laboratories. “From critical minerals to nuclear fuel, the Trump administration is fully committed to restoring the supply chains needed to secure America’s future,” said Wright. “Thanks to President Trump, the Energy Department is operating at record speeds to unleash the next American Nuclear Renaissance and to deliver more affordable, reliable, and secure energy for American families and businesses.”
Wright said INL “is ground zero for the nuclear renaissance that the Trump administration is passionate about making happen”, noting that, despite discussions surrounding the potential of nuclear energy for the past two decades, real progress is now underway.
“One of those commitments was that we would get multiple reactors critical by July 4 of next year,” Wright said. He observed that the regulatory landscape had significantly slowed down the approval process for new reactors.
In response to regulatory challenges, Wright said DOE is implementing targeted grants to encourage private enterprises to engage in the construction of new reactors, fuel, and transportation infrastructure. These grants will be financially supported by reallocating funds from traditional energy subsidies, such as those for wind and solar power. Additionally, tax incentives extending for eight years are being offered to companies focused on developing nuclear and geothermal technologies.
A highlight of Wright’s INL tour was the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME), a facility that was previously used for the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II. The DOME is being retrofitted to test new microreactor technologies. INL is also engaged in the development of HALEU by reprocessing used fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II), which operated at INL from 1964 to 1994.
INL posted on its Facebook page: Yesterday, we hosted US Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and provided him the opportunity to see firsthand how INL bridges the gap between breakthrough laboratory research and real-world deployment – from the Advanced Test Reactor supporting naval superiority and next-generation fuels, to the Materials and Fuels Complex producing the nation’s first new HALEU in decades, to our pioneering integration of artificial intelligence across the nuclear enterprise.
