DOE to Award $80 Million for HALEU Technologies
The Department of Energy will make up to $80 million in funding available to companies “developing innovative technologies and approaches to strengthen” the high-assay low-enriched uranium supply chain in the U.S. (DOE).
What’s going on: The opportunity is intended to jump-start advancements in the production of HALEU. The fuel is required by next-generation nuclear power generation technologies, including small modular reactors.
- In October, the DOE chose four companies to enrich uranium to make HALEU and six other companies to deconvert HALEU from a gas to its various chemical components, both essential steps in creating fuel for advanced reactors.
- The money announced this week will come from appropriations from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
- Applications for a piece of the funding are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on Feb. 26, 2025.
Why it’s important: “Many advanced reactors will require HALEU to achieve smaller designs, longer operating cycles and increased efficiencies over current technologies. There is currently no domestic, commercial source of HALEU available to fuel them.”
- However, Centrus Energy Corp.—the only U.S.-owned uranium enricher and one of the companies to win a DOE contract in October—aims to become this source with its Piketon, Ohio, enrichment plant. (Read our article about Centrus from earlier this year.)
What they’re looking for: The DOE is seeking applicants whose solutions would “address technology gaps, enhance current processes to produce HALEU and advance new technologies that could reduce risk, increase production or reduce costs.”
The NAM says: “When American voters, boosted by votes in manufacturing-intensive states, elected President Trump, American energy dominance was top of mind,” said NAM Director of Energy and Resources Policy Michael Davin.
- “These types of investments will help increase the supply of all forms of energy, achieving the vision of America as a global leader in energy production that the next administration, leaders of the next Congress and manufacturers share.”