HALEU policy, DOE allocation programs, NRC licensing, uranium import rules and international regulation
A new U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement includes provisions for joint HALEU research, potentially raising Saudi Arabia's enrichment ceiling to nearly 20%.
The U.S. Army has awarded $2.2 billion in contracts to deploy HALEU-fueled SMRs at five military bases by 2028. The DOE is directed to supply at least 20 tonnes of HALEU for the initiative.
Idaho Falls startup Raven-Flint Nuclear has been selected for the DOE's Nuclear Energy Launch Pad to build a pilot conversion plant. The company's proprietary process eliminates elemental fluorine, and its NRC license application has been docketed.
Russia's dominance in HALEU production forces Western nuclear startups to seek alternative fuels. In response, the U.S. DOE is injecting hundreds of millions into the HALEU Availability Program to secure domestic supply chains.