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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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U.S. nuclear supply chain: Ready for liftoff
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
This month, September 8–11, the American Nuclear Society is teaming up with the Nuclear Energy Institute to host our first-ever Nuclear Energy Conference and Expo—NECX for short—in Atlanta. This new meeting combines ANS’s Utility Working Conference and NEI’s Nuclear Energy Assembly to form what NEI CEO Maria Korsnick and I hope will be the premier nuclear industry gathering in America.
We did this because after more than four decades of relative stagnation, the U.S. nuclear supply chain is finally entering a new era of dynamic growth. This resurgence is being driven by several powerful and increasingly durable forces: the explosive demand for electricity from artificial intelligence and data centers, an unprecedented wave of public and private acceptance of—and investment in—advanced nuclear technologies, and a strong market signal for reliable, on-demand power. Add the recent Trump administration executive orders on nuclear into the mix, and you have all the makings of an accelerant-rich business environment primed for rapid expansion.
André Puill, Jean Bergeron
Nuclear Technology | Volume 119 | Number 2 | August 1997 | Pages 123-140
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35381
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An objective is to enhance the use of plutonium in conventional or slightly modified pressurized water reactors, while minimizing minor actinide production. Having entirely mixed-oxide-fueled reactors reduces the number of reactors that are affected on plutonium recycling and avoids the need for fuel zoning. However, the overall consumption is <30%, and the mass of minor actinides produced is considerable, representing up to 25 % of the plutonium used. The Advanced Plutonium Fuel Assembly concept, based on a uranium-free plutonium fuel, which achieves high burnups and an increased moderation ratio, enables 60% of the second-generation plutonium to be consumed, while the minor actinides produced only represent 8% of this figure. The heterogeneous design of the fuel assembly, which includes natural uranium or low-enriched uranium fuel rods, guarantees values that suit the physical parameters of the core. The concept was analyzed from a thermo-hydraulic aspect in both rated and accident situations. Technological feasibility is yet to be demonstrated. This study is part of a medium-term strategy for the back end of the fuel cycle.