US produces first domestic high-assay low-enriched uranium in over 70 years
A US facility has produced a maiden 90 kilograms of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), as the nation works to reduce its reliance on imported nuclear fuel from Russia.
The Biden administration said the sample was the first of its kind in the US in more than 70 years and meets a key milestone in the Department of Energy’s (DoE) aim to operate 16 advanced centrifuges at an enrichment facility in Ohio.
The technology could lay the groundwork for the restoration of America’s uranium enrichment capacity, which slowed down in the 1950s.
“A reliable uranium supply chain is essential to powering the world’s largest fleet of 93 commercial reactors in the US, producing life-saving medical isotopes and deploying new advanced reactors that can spark job creation and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in communities across the country,” the government said in a statement.
“However, current US dependence on Russian-sourced nuclear materials and fuels undermines the security of this supply chain.”
Sole HALEU source
Russia currently generates the world’s only commercially-available source of HALEU, which is needed by the US to fuel a new breed of advanced nuclear reactors under development.
The only facility that enriches uranium and provides HALEU for the US market is the American Centrifuge Company, owned by Ohio-based Centrus Energy Corp.
The plant has been on a 22-year hiatus, but it began enriching again in October, largely as a response to possible shortages from Russia.
Import ban
The US House of Representatives passed legislation late last year banning the import of enriched Russian uranium for use in American nuclear reactors.
The move was designed to cripple Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which is actively participating in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The bill needs to be passed by the Senate and then signed by President Biden to become law, though the timeline for this remains unclear.
The Biden administration has indicated a proposed 2028 implementation of the ban, which leaves just four years for the nation to expand its uranium enrichment facilities and find alternative suppliers.
Domestic supply needed
The most promising supply option is likely to be the Urenco USA plant in New Mexico, operated by Louisiana Energy Services.
It is the only commercial enrichment facility operating in the US and Urenco announced plans in July last year to expand its production by 2025 in response to the demand for non-Russian fuel.
The DoE issued a request in January for proposals for uranium enrichment services to help establish a reliable domestic supply of fuels using HALEU.
The initiative was designed to help reach President Biden’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, increase energy security, create good-paying jobs and strengthen US economic competitiveness.
Russian dependence
The US, like many of its European counterparts that support Ukraine’s resistance, remains heavily-dependent on enriched uranium from Russia.
The nation currently spends an estimated $1 billion per year on Russian nuclear fuel imports, representing an important source of revenue for Rosatom, which reported foreign receipts in 2022 totalling $8b.
Last year, Russia was the number one supplier of enriched uranium supplies for the US, almost a quarter of which was used in the nation’s commercial reactor fleet.
The country’s reliance on Russian-enriched fuel leaves its current and future nuclear plants vulnerable to a potential Russian shutdown of enriched uranium sales, which analysts suggest is a real possibility given President Vladimir Putin’s penchant for using energy as a geopolitical weapon.