Safeguards and Security for Advanced Reactors Using HALEU

Panelists from industry and government will discuss the integration of safeguards and security into advanced reactor designs. Many emergent advanced reactor designs plan to use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, which is enriched to greater than 10% but less than 20% in uranium-235. In assessments of proliferation risk, the use of HALEU fuel should be considered in conjunction with other important reactor performance metrics, including higher power density, greater fuel utilization, longer refueling cycles, and higher fuel burnup, which may reduce overall proliferation risk. Panelists will discuss assessments of proliferation risk, measures planned to mitigate it in alternative advanced reactor designs, and by-design approaches to safeguards and security. They will also discuss the role of safeguards and security in enabling the US to maintain and expand its position in the global nuclear energy market and promote its own nonproliferation agenda.