DOE allocates HALEU to Antares, Standard Nuclear, and ACU/Natura

The Department of Energy made conditional commitments yesterday to provide high-assay low-enriched uranium to three companies: reactor developer Antares Nuclear; fuel fabricator Standard Nuclear; and Natura Resources, which is backing Abilene Christian University's development of a small Molten Salt Research Reactor and pursuing a commercial reactor design of its own. Following a contracting process, some of the companies "could receive their HALEU later this year."

Part of a program: This is the second round of HALEU allocations made this year through the HALEU Availability Program established in 2020; five companies were previously named in April: Kairos Power, Radiant Industries, TerraPower, TRISO-X, and Westinghouse. The DOE plans to continue allocating HALEU from DOE sources, including material controlled by the National Nuclear Security Administration, making decisions based on a set of prioritization criteria.

As part of a Trump administration plan for "jumpstarting a true nuclear energy renaissance," the DOE "is doing everything within its power to achieve this ambitious agenda, including increasing access to materials needed to fabricate advanced nuclear fuels," said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. "The HALEU allocation program is a win for the economy, energy security, and the American people."

Enriched to between 5 and 19.75 percent fissile uranium-235, HALEU is the feedstock of choice for many advanced reactors due to its ability to enable smaller designs, longer operating cycles, and increased efficiencies. To date, the United States doesn't have a commercial, domestic supplier of HALEU.

More on the companies: Below are further details on the three companies getting HALEU commitments this time around:

• Antares Nuclear is one of 10 companies recently selected to build and operate a microreactor under authority granted by the DOE through its Reactor Pilot Program. Antares is developing a 500-kW sodium heat pipe-cooled microreactor and was also among those selected by the Defense Innovation Unit for the Department of Defense's Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program.
• Standard Nuclear wants to establish TRISO fuel lines to support reactors being developed under the Reactor Pilot Program as well as other TRISO-fueled reactors, potentially including the Nano Nuclear Kronos MMR, originally developed by Ultra Safe Nuclear, the developer of the TRISO production technology that Standard Nuclear is commercializing. On August 4, Standard Nuclear was the first company to be selected to use DOE authorization under a Fuel Line Pilot Program announced in July.
• Abilene Christian University/Natura Resources will use the HALEU in the Molten Salt Research Reactor being built at ACU with support from Natura Resources, which is also pursuing a commercial reactor design and was one of the 10 companies named to participate in the DOE's Reactor Pilot Program. The company remains in preapplication activities with the NRC for its commercial reactor.