en.Wedoany.com Reported - On May 18, BLSK Energy, LLC announced the end of its stealth mode operations. The company has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to lead the commercialization of a technology that produces fuel for advanced fast reactors by recycling spent fuel from existing nuclear power plants.
Founded in early 2025, BLSK Energy leverages its founders' experience and resources in the nuclear power and finance sectors to lay the groundwork for a pilot recycling facility to produce fuel for advanced fast reactors, targeted for operation by 2034. It is estimated that the United States has an accumulated backlog of approximately 95,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel at over 75 sites nationwide, with permanent disposal plans stalled for decades. Meanwhile, the supply and cost of fuel for advanced reactors are becoming a bottleneck for their development.
Managing Director and Co-founder Bruce Landry stated that BLSK has a rare opportunity to simultaneously address two critical issues facing nuclear power: answering the question of "what to do with nuclear waste" and providing a reliable and cost-effective fuel supply for advanced reactors.
Under the CRADA, BLSK Energy will have exclusive access to the intellectual property behind the pyroprocessing technology, as well as access to ANL's established team of nuclear fuel reprocessing scientists, engineers, and laboratory facilities. The agreement also grants BLSK Energy exclusive rights to use the reprocessing facility design specifications developed by ANL through years of collaboration with Merrick & Company. Support from Argonne National Laboratory will be led by Dr. Il Soon Chang, Director of Advanced Nuclear Programs and ANL Distinguished Fellow, who is recognized as the father of the pyroprocessing technology.
BLSK Energy has established an Advisory Board with initial members including Dr. Fred Buckman Sr., Marilyn Kray, John O'Connor, and Tom Marcille. Dr. Buckman will serve as Chairman of the Advisory Board. Ms. Kray is a former Constellation executive who led the NuStart Alliance, Mr. O'Connor is the CEO of JH Whitney Investment Management, and Mr. Marcille is a former Chief Engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Landry previously helped found NuScale Power and led its early development, while co-founders Murphy Poindexter and Ross Yahya Hubbard have extensive entrepreneurial experience in technology and clean energy development.
Landry stated that starting with the intellectual property and facility design places the company's work at a highly mature stage, helping to reduce technology, regulatory, and investment risks. BLSK Energy plans to release more information about its progress in the coming weeks.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
