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The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
Dieter Pfirsch, Karl H. Schmitter
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 15 | Number 4 | July 1989 | Pages 1471-1484
Technical Paper | Economic | doi.org/10.13182/FST89-A25339
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A method to estimate the cost and construction energy of tokamak fusion power stations based on the present, early stage of fusion development is described. The method is based on first-wall heat load constraints rather than beta limitations, which could eventually be the more critical of the two. The economic efficiency of pure fusion is discussed, with particular reference to a European study. It is shown that the claims made therein for the economic prospects of pure fusion with tokamaks, when discussed on the basis of present-day technology, do not stand up to critical examination, A fusion-fission hybrid, however, could afford more positive prospects. This method is also effective when it is properly applied for cost estimation of advanced gas-cooled and Magnox reactors, the very examples presented by the European study to “disprove” it.