More detail on the US2.2Bn proposal that is now forwarded to Congress by the White house. Note that it is not all for HALEU but also for LEU feedstock. Currently Centrus do not have the capability to enrich the LEU feedstock (they need LEU for their HALEU plant - which only has 900KgU/yr capacity).

https://youtu.be/MSZgoFyuHC8

White House backs HALEU enrichment with a request for $2.2 billion

Justa fewhours after a new Speaker of the Houseof Representativeswaselectedon October 25, the White Housesent alistof funding prioritiesfor "critical domestic needs"toCongressforconsiderationaslegislators restart thestalled annualappropriationsprocess.Those prioritiesinclude$2.2 billionforlow-enriched uranium(LEU)andhigh-assay low-enriched uranium(HALEU)enrichment capabilities.Andto ensure that investmentindomestic HALEU enrichmentpays off, the White Houseisalso callingforalong-term ban on enriched uranium from Russia.

If you build it,the money willcome?The DOE estimates that more than 40 metric tons of HALEU could be needed by the end of the decade, withadditional HALEU required each yearthereafterto fuel a fleet of advanced reactors. But clearWhite House support fordomestic HALEU enrichment hasbeen lacking, even as theDOEhas taken about two years to buildafederalprogramto support asustainablecommercial HALEU infrastructure.

The Energy Act of 2020authorized aHALEU Availability Program to support civilian domestic research, development, demonstration, and commercial use.Aftersolicitinginput, the DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy produced a plan inOctober 2022 to useofftake contractsto set up a HALEU bank.Thatwas followed byaHALEU consortiumset up in December 2022and managed by the DOE as an information clearinghouse forenrichers, fuel fabricators, and others working in the frontend of thefuel cycle.

In June2023, the Department of Energy released two draft requests for proposalstoacquirehigh-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU)-one covering enrichment services that could include the production of between 5 and 145 metric tons of HALEU during a 10-year performance period, and another fordeconvertingthat HALEU from uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas to metal or oxide forms in preparation for fuel fabrication.

The White House's new move:A White Housefact sheetissued October 25-"White House Calls on Congress to Support Critical Domestic Needs"-includesameasure to "Protect American Security and Bolster Energy Independence"bycalling on Congress"toprovide supplemental funding to improve long-term, domestic enrichment capabilities for low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium." The funding is "a national security priority as dependence on Russian sources of uranium creates risk to the U.S. economy and the civil nuclear industry that has been further strained by Russia's war in Ukraine," the fact sheet states."Without action, Russia will continue its hold on the global uranium market to the detriment of U.S. allies and partners.To be successful, this initiative would also require a long-term ban on enriched uranium product imports from the Russian Federation into the United States."

Asummaryofthe domestic fundingrequestdetails how$6 billionrequested for "American Security and Energy Independence" would beallocated.That includes$2.2 billion"for DOE to improve long-term, domestic enrichment capabilities for low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium." The White House is also requesting $278 million "for DOE to mitigate domestic vulnerabilities and enhance U.S. competitiveness in the global market for isotopes."

On October 20, the White House issued aLetter Regarding Critical National Security Funding Needs for FY 2024, transmitting a request for FY2024 emergency supplemental funding. Theadditionalfundingrequests made October 25-including the LEU and HALEU enrichment request-representsa domestic counterpart to the earlier call for supplementalnational securityfunding.

Fundingattempts:The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022provided$700 million for theHALEU Availability Program. From those funds, $500 millionwas earmarked to helpestablisha sustainable commercial supply chain for HALEU-a start, but a number that falls far short ofindustryestimatesof fundingrequired.

Differentbipartisan billsthat would have put upadditionalfunds to supportHALEU enrichmentwere introduced inthe Senate and the House in2022, butfailed tomake it into law.The Nuclear Fuel Security Actof 2023,introduced in the Senateand Housein different formsin February 2023(andlater reintroducedin the Housein July)containselements of thoseunsuccessful 2022 bills.The Nuclear Fuel Security Actof 2023, as put forward in the Senate,would authorize$3.5 billionover 10 years for nuclear fuel securityandspecifies that up to$1 billionof that money could go to HALEU purchases made by the end of fiscal year 2028.