Biden-Harris Administration Announces 6 Contracts to Spur America’s Domestic HALEU Supply Chain as Part of Investing in America Agenda
Contracts Will Allow Companies to Compete for Work to Provide Deconversion Services and Help Secure Domestic High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium for Advanced Reactors to Strengthen America’s Leadership in Nuclear Energy WASHINGTON, D.C.—
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today awarded contracts to six companies to spur the buildout of a U.S. supply chain for fuels for advanced nuclear reactors. Many advanced reactors will require high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to achieve smaller designs, longer operating cycles, and increased efficiencies over current technologies.
These contracts will allow selected companies to bid on work for deconversion services, a critical component of the HALEU supply chain. Advancing America’s domestic HALEU supply chain will help reinforce America’s leadership in the nuclear energy sector and allow nuclear facilities to power even more homes and businesses with affordable and reliable carbon-free energy.
“Building a strong, reliable domestic nuclear fuel supply chain will help our nation reach the President and Vice President’s ambitious climate goals while also protecting the environment and creating good-paying, high-quality jobs,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David M. Turk. “Today’s announcement underscores the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to strengthening our energy and national security by our eliminating America's reliance on Russian uranium for civil nuclear power.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration knows that nuclear energy is essential to accelerating America’s clean energy future,” said Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “Boosting our domestic uranium supply won’t just advance President Biden’s historic climate agenda, but also increase America’s energy security, create good-paying union jobs, and strengthen our economic competitiveness. The path to greater energy security and more climate solutions runs through investments like these, being made at historic scale by President Biden. It’s good news for our economy, for America’s union workforce, and for our planet.”
HALEU deconversion is a critical step in the fuel supply chain for advanced nuclear reactors. HALEU is uranium enriched between 5 and 20 percent, which increases the amount of fissile material to make the fuel more efficient. After enrichment, which is performed while in gaseous uranium hexafluoride form, the material needs to be deconverted to oxide or metal forms that are fabricated into fuel for advanced reactors.
Nuclear power is America’s largest source of carbon-free energy and provides firm, reliable, and safe power. Advanced nuclear power designs using HALEU fuels represent a critical set of technologies that can help to reach U.S. emissions targets and contribute to America’s recent pledge with 24 other countries to triple nuclear power globally by 2050. The United States currently lacks commercial HALEU enrichment and deconversion services to support the deployment of advanced reactors, which are essential to meeting President Biden and Vice President Harris’ greenhouse gas reduction and climate goals. DOE also plans to award contracts for enrichment services to support the full breadth of the HALEU supply chain.
Six companies have been awarded contacts – creating strong competition and allowing DOE to select the best fit for future work. All contracts will last for up to 10 years and each awardee receives a minimum contract of $2 million, with up to $800 million available for these services, subject to the availability of appropriations. Selected companies include:
- BWXT
- Centrus
- Framatome
- GE Vernova
- Orano
- Westinghouse
The HALEU that DOE acquires through these contracts will be used to support reactors like those under development through DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program—TerraPower's Natrium reactor and X-energy's Xe-100.
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