Was this tongue in cheek stuff by Catherine Huff or a parting...

Was this tongue in cheek stuff by Catherine Huff or a parting hint about what is to come?


https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/...s-securing-reliable-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain

Office of Nuclear Energy
Sapporo 5 leaders make significant progress in securing a reliable nuclear fuel supply chain

April 18, 2024

1. Office of Nuclear Energy
2. Sapporo 5 leaders make significant progress in securing a reliable nuclear fuel supply chain

Dr. Kathryn Huff more by this author
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the creation of the Sapporo 5 — a strategic partnership between the United States, Canada, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom.  
This group is laser-focused on increasing the depth and resilience of the global civil nuclear fuel supply chain free from Russian influence.   
A reliable uranium supply chain allows us to power our reactors, produce life-saving medical isotopes, and deploy new advanced reactors. But, continued dependence on Russian-sourced nuclear materials and fuel undermines the security of that supply chain in the U.S. and across the globe.
That’s why over this past year, the Sapporo 5 members, who collectively make up half of the world’s uranium conversion and enrichment capacity, have collaborated multilaterally and taken deliberate action on a path forward.  
And while we still have a long way to go, this group has made incredible progress in just 365 days.
Building momentum from COP28

Last year, I had the great honor of attending the historic COP28 conference in Dubai, where nuclear energy was formally named for the first time as one of the solutions to climate change.  
During the event, 22 countries, including all five Sapporo 5 members, pledged to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 — marking a monumental shift for the world’s second largest source of clean power.
The Sapporo 5 also announced plans on the margins of COP28 to mobilize $4.2 billion in government-led investments to develop a secure, resilient global nuclear energy supply chain that is free from manipulation.
With the financial pledges and commitments of all of our partners, I’m proud to say that we’ve already met this goal!
How we got there

In the United States, we’re working to expand our capacity by producing limited quantities of high-assay low-enriched uranium, also known as HALEU, by down blending U.S. Department of Energy-owned stockpiles in the near-term.  
We produced the first commercial amounts of HALEU in more than 70 years as part of our demonstration project in Piketon, OH and we expect that project to ramp up production to 900 kgs of HALEU in the coming years.
And, we also plan to award contracts for enrichment and deconversion services later this summer to help spur demand for additional HALEU production and private investment in our domestic nuclear fuel supply infrastructure.  
This effort recently received a huge boost with more than $2.7 billion directed in the FY2024 spending bill to further build out a secure supply chain for low-enriched uranium (LEU), including HALEU. This funding is contingent on a ban on Russian uranium imports that is currently being considered by Congress.

Other Sapporo partners have made incredible strides to establish a global commercial nuclear fuel market, free from the influence of maligned actors.  
In October 2023, Orano’s Board of Directors approved
a $1.8 billion investment to increase the enrichment capacity of a facility in southern France by 30 percent by 2028. This expanded capacity will help meet the LEU demand for the current reactor fleet.
Additionally, Japan has committed to increase their enrichment from 75 tons per year to 450 tons per year by 2027, the United Kingdom announced a £300 million investment to launch Europe’s first domestic HALEU program, and Canada continues to mine and convert uranium to support a safe and secure supply chain.
What’s Next?

As I mentioned before, this is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see the progress made in year two.  
Stay tuned for more developments from the Sapporo 5 as we build on these achievements to hopefully grow our partnerships with key supplier countries and strategic allies.  
The United States is fully committed to this endeavor, and we stand united with our Sapporo 5 partnership to help deliver a truly free, secure, and reliable global nuclear fuel market that can meet the demands required to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.