Utah-based physics company Nusano has been selected by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) to develop a high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) nuclear fuel production line using its direct metallisation technology, as part of the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Program. This gives Nusano access to DOE authorisation processes, national laboratory expertise, infrastructure, technical resources, and project support intended to accelerate advanced nuclear technologies from development to deployment.
Nusano’s platform uses a proprietary direct metallisation process avoids the conventional, hazardous intermediate step of creating uranium hexafluoride gas by converting uranium directly into metallic feedstock. This improves occupational safety and lowers environmental risks.
Each compact 1,200-square-foot production unit is designed to produce 5.9 tonnes of HALEU fuel a year. Its modular design allows units to be added incrementally as energy market demand scales. Nusano estimates its first commercial production unit will be fully operational by 2031.
HALEU contains between 5% and 20% uranium-235, making it a critical fuel source for next-generation advanced nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs). It allows reactors to operate longer between refuelling cycles and extract more power from a smaller footprint. DOE expects domestic US demand for HALEU to reach 50 tonnes a year by 2035.
While traditional centrifuge enrichment relies heavily on complex, volatile chemical phase changes, Nusano uses a proprietary mechanical separation platform that operates entirely with solid metallic uranium. In standard enrichment, uranium oxide (U3O8) must be chemically converted to UF6 gas to be spun, then deconverted back to solid form, and finally metallised into fuel feedstock.
Nusano shifts metallurgy to the beginning of the cycle, bypassing three costly, highly-regulated chemical conversion steps. Centrifuges must spin at up to 100,000 RPM continuously to exploit minute mass differences in gas molecules. Nusano’s proprietary techniques separate uranium-235 from uranium-238 isotopes by mass in a single pass, resulting in an anticipated production cost far below traditional centrifuge operations.
Traditional enrichment works via statistical probabilities (spinning molecules slightly different in weight). Conversely, Nusano treats isotope separation as a direct physical sorting process. Instead of moving a gas, they manipulate a stream of ionised, solid atoms using a platform adapted from advanced particle accelerator and mass spectrometry physics.
Solid uranium metal feedstock is converted into a vaporised stream of positively charged ions. This beam of moving uranium ions is projected through a highly controlled vacuum environment exposed to strong magnetic and electric fields. Because a uranium-238 atom has three extra neutrons, it has a minutely greater mass than a uranium-235 atom. When both pass through the magnetic field, the lighter U-235 ions experience a sharper trajectory curvature than the heavier U-238 ions. Physical collecting slots or collectors are positioned precisely along the curved path. The U-235 ions land directly in the collection target, allowing Nusano to hit the sub-20% HALEU sweet spot in a single pass, bypassing the need to cycle material thousands of times.
However, deploying a completely novel metallic fuel pathway requires a regulatory changes. Because the global supply chain has been built entirely around gaseous uranium hexafluoride, Nusano will have to navigate major bottlenecks with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Standard commercial enrichment regulations are written specifically to manage the hazards of corrosive UF6 gas and massive centrifuge cascades. Nusano’s localised, accelerator-driven metal separation has a radically lower chemical risk profile but lacks an established regulatory framework.
Because HALEU is enriched between 5% and 20%, it falls under stricter “Special Nuclear Material of Moderate Strategic Significance” (Category II) security protocols. The regulatory path requires rigorous new protocols for physical security, material control, and accounting customised for a 1,200 square-foot modular layout rather than a huge, fenced facility. In addition, there are currently very few certified transportation packages capable of legally moving commercial quantities of metallic HALEU fuel. The entire logistics loop—from enrichment to reactor-ready fuel fabrication—must undergo independent NRC safety validations.
These regulatory obstacles are why selection for the Launch Pad Program is is important. By embedding with NRIC and DOE, Nusano gains access to fast-tracked DOE authorisation pathways. It can also test and validate the new systems inside national laboratory infrastructure, demonstrating that the technology works before embarking on the multi-year commercial NRC licensing process.
Nusano was founded in 2016 by nuclear physicist Dr Glenn B. Rosenthal and nuclear cardiologist Dr. Howard Lewin. The company is headquartered and operates a state-of-the-art 190,000-square-foot production facility in West Valley City, Utah as well as maintaining offices and research labs in Valencia, California. It is a privately held physics and biotechnology company specialising in advanced particle acceleration and isotope separation technology to produce scarce therapeutic isotopes such as lutetium-177 (Lu-177) and actinium-225 (Ac-225). These form the backbone of next-generation radioligand therapies designed to target and eradicate specific cancer cells with minimal damage to healthy tissue. Nusano is now using its single-pass atomic mass filtering capabilities to enrich metallic HALEU for SMRs and to develop miniature nuclear battery pipelines.
“Selection for Launch Pad signals Nusano’s HALEU technology and team are ready to move forward,” said Nusano CEO Keith Titus. “The review process considered each project’s technical merit, operational readiness, and alignment with national strategic priorities. We’re proud to be included and grateful for the opportunity to advance work to support America’s energy independence.”
