$11 million: The DOE awards, which are valued at a total of $11 million, are expected to advance the realization of long-term, economical HALEU transport capabilities. Such improved transport capabilities for HALEU should better serve reactor developers and strengthen the nuclear supply chain in the United States. The awards are being made available through the DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, which was established by the Energy Act of 2020 in order to ensure access to HALEU for civilian domestic research, development, demonstration, and commercial use.
Two topic areas: The HALEU awards are classified into two topic areas: The first covers development of new package designs that can be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the second covers modification of existing package designs for NRC certification.
The recipients of the DOE HALEU awards in topic area 1 are NAC International, Westinghouse, Container Technologies Industries, American Centrifuge Operating, and Paragon D&E. The projects in this topic area have performance periods as long as three years.
NAC International is also the sole recipient of the award in topic area 2, which is for projects with performance periods of two years or less.
American nuclear renaissance: In announcing the awards at Idaho National Laboratory, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “From critical minerals to nuclear fuel, the Trump administration is fully committed to restoring the supply chains needed to secure America’s future. Thanks to President Trump, the Energy Department is operating at record speeds to unleash the next American nuclear renaissance and to deliver more affordable, reliable, and secure energy for American families and businesses.”
