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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
International High Level Radioactive Waste Management (IHLRWM 2025)
Theodore Dowling is the Director of Nuclear Auxiliary Systems for X-energy’s Xe-100 reactor program. He leads the team’s development of the Spent Fuel Storage, Fuel Handling, and Helium Service systems for their flagship reactor facility under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) and future Xe-100 projects. Theodore has over a decade of nuclear industry experience as a contractor for the Department of Energy at Idaho National Laboratory and in the private sector for X-energy.
In 2020, Theodore joined X-energy as a Systems Engineer working on the Xe-100 project in support of concept development of the Nuclear Auxiliary Systems. Since X-energy’s award for the ARDP, he has led and developed the X-energy team responsible for the development and delivery of the Xe-100 Nuclear Auxiliary Systems. From 2014-2020, he worked at the Advanced Test Reactor for Idaho National Laboratory where he held qualifications as a Senior Experiment Operator and Reactor Operator as well as Operations Training Instructor.
Theodore holds a Bachelors of Nuclear Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.
Last modified September 29, 2025, 10:08am EDT
