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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.
G. I. Gathers, R. L. Jolley, E. G Moncrief
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 13 | Number 4 | August 1962 | Pages 391-397
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE62-A26182
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The feasibility of processing enriched irradiated zirconium-uranium alloy fuel by the fused salt-fluoride volatility procedure has been demonstrated in laboratory tests with fuel having a burnup of over 10%. Uranium recoveries were greater than 99% and decontamination factors for radioactive fission products were 106 to 109. The UF6 product contained significant quantities of nonradioactive impurities; additional work in this area is needed.