NuclearNewswire reports that Global Nuclear Fuel has received approval to fabricate fuel for advanced nuclear reactors.
- With this announcement, GE Vernova’s Wilmington plant will become the first facility in the U.S. that is licensed to fabricate fuel up to 8 percent U-235.
- U-235 that is enriched between 5 and 20 percent is referred to as high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).
- HALEU is needed to power a majority of advanced reactor designs, but the U.S. is currently reliant on Russia to meet its enrichment needs.
- Establishing a domestic supply chain of HALEU (and lower enriched uranium/enrichment capacity) is critical for our energy security, national security, and leadership in nuclear power innovation.
“With the NRC’s approval of GNF’s fuel fabrication license amendment, the company’s manufacturing facility in Wilmington, N.C., becomes the first commercial facility in the United States to hold a license to fabricate fuel containing up to 8 percent U-235, according to GE Vernova. The NRC has issued a certificate of compliance allowing GNF to ship fuel bundles using the company’s RAJ-II shipping container. The agency has also approved licensing topical reports for advanced nuclear methods that will permit GNF to analyze fuel with enrichments above the 5 percent U-235 limit for conventional low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel.”
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