Test reactor fuel fabrication will be fast-tracked by DOE under new pilot program
The Department of Energy has announced a program to accelerate nuclear fuel fabrication for new test reactors. The Fuel Line Pilot Program would see the DOE approve facilities developed by U.S. companies to produce the fuel needed for test reactors the DOE expects to authorize under the Reactor Pilot Program announced in June. Like the reactors they’re meant to fuel, the fabrication facilities would be built on sites outside the DOE’s national laboratories but authorized by the DOE under “a fast-tracked approach to enable future commercial licensing activities for potential applicants.”
Executive authorization: Both the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program and the Fuel Line Pilot Program are driven by President Trump’s May 23 Executive Order 14301 on “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy,” which called for “a pilot program for reactor construction and operation outside the National Laboratories.”
The fuel line program also takes its direction from Executive Order 14299 on “Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security.” The program would not only support reactors built in response to E.O. 14301 but would also “help end America’s reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials, while opening the door for private sector investment in America’s nuclear renaissance,” according to the DOE.
Successful applicants for the test reactor program would execute Other Transaction Agreements “under contract with and for the account of” the DOE to “serve research, development, and demonstration purposes.” According to the Fuel Line Pilot Program description, “DOE is relying on the same authority to develop or build fuel production lines to increase production capacity under Executive Order 14299 to deploy advanced nuclear reactor technologies for national security.”
That means that “fuel lines built and operated pursuant to the DOE pilot program will not require Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing. Nevertheless, DOE-approved fuel line designs can and will be fast-tracked for future NRC licensing.”
According to the request for applications, “The value proposition for applicants is twofold: DOE authorization will (1) unlock the next level of private funding; and (2) provide a fast track to an NRC license, and hence, commercialization for authorized fuel fabrication lines.”
The DOE’s July 16 press release quotes Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who said: “America has the resources and the expertise to lead the world in nuclear energy development, but we need secure domestic supply chains to fuel this rapidly growing energy source and achieve a true nuclear energy renaissance. The Trump administration is accelerating innovation, not regulation, and leveraging partnerships with the private sector to safely fuel and test new reactor designs that will unleash more reliable and affordable energy for American consumers.”
This one’s about fabrication: The DOE’s July 15 RFA seeks U.S. companies that want to build and operate “nuclear fuel production lines” under the DOE authorization process. The DOE’s Idaho Operations Office is the contracting agent.
According to the DOE press release, “The United States currently lacks the sufficient domestic nuclear fuel resources to meet projected demand.” The DOE has worked in recent years with bipartisan support to build a sustainable infrastructure for domestic uranium production and enrichment, including through the HALEU Availability Program. The new program will not address enrichment, but fabrication of a limited quantity of fuel from existing feedstocks.
Speaking during a July 16 media appearance at Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “Today, we had an RFA go out on fuel fabrication. After you have enriched uranium you still need to build it into fuel assemblies. . . . So this is trying to use government funds to spur commercial businesses to grow their capabilities, so we have the supply chain here to bring the cost down of nuclear and build them faster.”
Requirements: The DOE will not provide funding, cost-sharing, or sites to successful applicants. In fact, it is looking for companies that already have a design, a plan, a site, a staff, and funding, and that can meet the following thresholds:
- A “sufficiently mature design to support imminent development and submittal of safety basis documentation, including a final preliminary documented safety analysis within the required time period to support operations.”
- “Established fuel fabrication plans to utilize a qualified fuel form” and “identified nuclear fuel feedstock” to fuel a “qualified test reactor.”
- “Adequate financial resources and mature supply chain to complete design, build, commissioning, operation, and decommissioning, as appropriate.”
- “Execution readiness,” including the “procurement/manufacture of all fuel line materials, systems and components, and qualified staffing to support all project phases.”
Applicants will be evaluated on eight criteria: fuel fabrication technology and maturity, nuclear material feedstock, process line capabilities, project schedule, site plan, DOE authorization plan, funding, and experience and capabilities.
The RFA states that “If selected, the applicant will be responsible for the costs associated with designing, manufacturing, constructing, operating, and decommissioning the advanced nuclear fuel line,” while the DOE will cover its own direct costs to “review documents necessary for DOE authorization.”
More details: While the submission deadline given for initial applications is August 15, the RFA says that early submittals will be accepted, and that applications submitted after August 15 will be reviewed periodically. The DOE expects to announce initial selections within 30 days after receiving a proposal.
Questions can be directed to DOEReactorProgram@id.doe.gov.
