TRISO approval, HALEU pact advance US nuclear fuel

Framatome submitted a licence amendment request (LAR) to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in September 2024, seeking permission for the plant to handle uranium enriched up to 10%, up from the current 6.5% so that it can expand domestic capacity for advanced reactor fuels - such as tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel - and support the acceleration of deployment of next-generation reactors. TRISO fuel comprises spherical kernels of enriched uranium oxycarbide (or uranium dioxide) surrounded by layers of carbon and silicon carbide, giving a containment for fission products which is stable up to very high temperatures. High-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuels are being considered as the preferred fuel in several advanced reactor designs currently under development.

"The NRC staff grants the licence amendment request to increase the enrichment limit in materials licence SNM-1227 from 6.5 wt percent U-235 to less than 10.0 wt percent U-235 and to authorise TRISO fuel fabrication," the Commission said in a 26 June letter to Framatome informing the company of its decision.

"The NRC's approval of the new LAR authorises the site to utilise its industry-leading dry conversion process to convert uranium hexafluoride (UF6) to uranium oxide (UO2 and U3O8) powder for reactor types requiring enrichment levels even higher than the existing light water reactors, including the fabrication of TRISO fuel," Framatome said.

It noted that the licence amendment request approval is "a major milestone for the Framatome and Standard Nuclear joint venture, supporting on-time fuel delivery commitments".

In September last year, Framatome and Standard Nuclear announced a joint venture - named Standard Nuclear-Framatome - to supply commercial quantities of TRISO particles and proprietary advanced reactor products. Framatome said the partnership is "on schedule to start equipment commissioning in the near term and begin producing metric ton levels of TRISO fuel annually, representing a significant scale-up from current capacity to supply the incoming fleet of advanced reactors in the US".

The Richland site plans to start manufacturing UO2 powder and TRISO particles in 2027 to meet current demand. Standard Nuclear-Framatome aims to start by producing 2 tonnes of TRISO fuel annually.

"This is the latest step in reshaping the nuclear fuel market for the next generation of reactors," said Lionel Gaiffe, Senior Executive Vice President of Framatome's Fuel Business Unit. "Built on more than five decades of nuclear fuel manufacturing expertise, this approval uniquely positions us to deliver advanced fuel products to support the future of our industry."

Framatome said approval for enrichment levels up to 10% also positions the company for future production of HALEU fuel types enriched up to 20%. "The necessary equipment and systems have already been designed and analysed, allowing an additional licence amendment to follow quickly," it said. "In this regard, Framatome has applied for a US Department of Energy (DOE) HALEU availability funding."

MoU on HALEU fuel supply

Advanced nuclear fuel developer Lightbridge Corporation and Quadrant Nuclear Industries Inc, a developer of integrated nuclear fuel cycle capabilities, announced they have entered into a memorandum of understanding to establish a framework for collaboration on the long-term supply of HALEU fuel.

QNI is developing an integrated HALEU production capability in coordination with the DOE and other key stakeholders. Its planned Vanguard facility at Idaho National Laboratory is designed to produce up to 18 tonnes of HALEU annually at full capacity, supporting both commercial and government markets for advanced nuclear reactors.

Under the new MoU, Lightbridge and QNI will discuss the potential supply and long-term offtake of HALEU produced at QNI's facility. The companies intend to collaborate on areas including fuel supply planning, technical interface requirements, commercial structuring, regulatory coordination, and logistics considerations associated with HALEU supply arrangements.

"We are pleased to establish this memorandum of understanding with QNI as we continue advancing the commercialisation of Lightbridge Fuel," said Lightbridge Chairman and CEO Seth Grae. "As we progress in the development and regulatory licensing of Lightbridge Fuel, it is critical that we begin solidifying a reliable domestic supply of HALEU. We look forward to working with QNI to explore opportunities that support our long-term fuel requirements and contribute to a more secure US nuclear fuel supply chain."

Lightbridge Fuel is described by the company as a proprietary next-generation nuclear fuel technology for existing light-water reactors and pressurised heavy-water reactors which it says significantly enhances reactor safety, economics, and proliferation resistance. It is also developing Lightbridge Fuel for new small modular reactors.

Dee Mewbourne, CEO of QNI, said: "Developing a secure, US-based source of HALEU is essential to enabling the next generation of nuclear energy. Our cooperation with Lightbridge reflects the growing alignment between advanced fuel innovation and domestic fuel production. Through this collaboration, we aim to establish a framework for a long-term offtake arrangement that supports commercialisation of Lightbridge's advanced fuel technology while strengthening the domestic nuclear fuel ecosystem."

Last week, QNI signed an MoU with US nuclear fuel innovation company Clean Core Thorium Energy to establish a framework for collaboration on the supply of HALEU fuel. Under the non-binding MoU, the companies will explore how domestically produced HALEU from QNI's planned commercial reprocessing facility at INL could support the future commercial deployment of Clean Core Thorium Energy's ANEEL fuel, which combines thorium with enriched uranium and is designed for use in existing pressurised heavy water and CANDU reactors.