DOE Wooing U.S. Firms To Create Nuclear Fuel Production Lines

Forbes

4 days ago

A look inside the fuel element storage pool in a German nuclear power plant. w
The U.S. government has launched an experiment for domestic companies to create and operate commercial nuclear fuel production lines to feed at least three new reactors by next year.
The U.S. Department of Energy is calling its new effort to create a private-industry nuclear fuel supply chain the 'Fuel Line Pilot Program.' The new effort was announced July 15 by Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
'America has the resources and the expertise to lead the world in nuclear energy development, but we need secure domestic supply chains to fuel this rapidly growing energy source and achieve a true nuclear energy renaissance,' Wright noted in a press statement. 'The Trump Administration is accelerating innovation, not regulation, and leveraging partnerships with the private sector to safely fuel and test new reactor designs that will unleash more reliable and affordable energy for American consumers.'
DOE's invitation to interested U.S. companies took the official form of a 'Request for Application' in the fuel line pilot project. Qualified U.S. companies have until Aug. 15 to submit initial applications to the DOE's contracting office in Idaho. Also located there in Idaho Falls is the DOE's Idaho National Laboratory where experiments are taking place to develop a microreactor in a project called MARVEL that stands for 'Microreactor Applications Research Validation.'
Rendering of MARVEL Microreactor.
The nuclear fuel line project objective is for companies to product commercial fuel for nuclear reactors using the DOE's authorization process that would provide federal oversight. The pilot project will assist the federal government with research and development as well as a demonstrate what can be achieved.
'Applicants will be responsible for all costs associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of an advanced nuclear fuel line, as well as the procurement of all nuclear material feedstock,' DOE noted.
Once successful, this nuclear fuel made in the U.S. would 'help end America's reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials, while opening the door for private sector investment in America's nuclear renaissance,' according to the DOE.
The DOE's application request specifies that an acceptable advanced nuclear fuel line must have:
'The value proposition for applicants is twofold: DOE authorization will (1) unlock the next level of private funding; and (2) provide a fast track to an NRC license, and hence, commercialization for authorized fuel fabrication lines,' states the DOE's 14-page application request.
The nuclear fuel supply chain project was launched to support another recent DOE initiative to spur commercialization of new reactors. In June, Wright announced a new pilot program to accelerate the testing of advanced reactor designs. These operations would be authorized by DOE in locations outside the confines of DOE national laboratories (where current experiments are taking place in sites operating under U.S. government top secret protocols).
The DOE is currently reviewing applications from qualified U.S. reactor companies. The agency intends to select at least three advanced reactor designs having 'a reasonable chance to operate' and achieve criticality by next July 4, noted a June 18 announcement for the 'DOE Pilot Reactor Program.'
The federal government has embarked on a series of actions to revive nuclear power and expand its role in private industry, while also pushing to develop and deploy energy-hungry AI applications throughout the nation.