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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Front-end nuclear fuel supply cooperation: Turning allied interdependence into strategic advantage
The global nuclear revival, which is fueled by unprecedented demand for firm, affordable, dispatchable power for artificial intelligence and data center build-out, energy security imperatives, and climate commitments, has exposed a structural reality of the Western fuel cycle: No single allied nation currently possesses the full suite of front-end capabilities. From mining through conversion, enrichment, fabrication, and the emerging deconversion and metallization steps required for reactor fuels, capability is distributed across Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States (collectively, the “Sapporo Five”), as well as a small group of close partners.
F. A. Saulino, J. C. Andersen, K. M. Taylor
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 17 | Number 1 | September 1963 | Pages 75-81
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE63-A17212
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The outstanding features of the facility are its compactness, reliability, low operating cost and the unusually high purity of the atmosphere in the helium glove boxes (2–3 ppm oxygen and less than 1 ppm water vapor). The high purity helium atmosphere results from the leak tightness of the system and the highly effective zirconium-titanium alloy getter system. In addition to the usual health and safety precautions, possible trouble areas are continuously monitored by an extensive alarm system.