U.S. Department of Energy Delivers First Batch of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium Feed Material to Standard Nuclear

Recently, Standard Nuclear Company in the United States received its first batch of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) feed material at its facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The company stated publicly that it is the first enterprise authorized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to progress toward full-scale fuel production. This feed material will be processed into TRISO fuel for use in the advanced reactor demonstration project planned by Radiant to commence in 2026. The volume of this material is "sufficient to produce all the nuclear fuel required for the startup of Radiant's first reactor."

It is understood that the United States is committed to building its HALEU supply chain: it has recently allocated $2.7 billion to strengthen the supply chains for low-enriched uranium and HALEU. The HALEU supply program was initiated as early as 2020, aiming to ensure a domestic supply of HALEU for civilian research, development, demonstration, and commercial use, and to enable nuclear energy developers to apply for raw materials through channels of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), including the National Nuclear Security Administration.