The U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 9 passed in a voice vote legislation to establish a supply of domestically mined high-assay, low-enriched uranium fuel, or HALEU, required for commercial advanced nuclear reactors. The bipartisan Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act, or H.R. 1760, now awaits consideration by the Senate.
Sponsored by Reps. Bill Flores, R-Texas, and Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., H.R. 1760 seeks to create an interim supply of fuel required for most new advanced reactor designs. It also would require the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a program to develop commercial-use HALEU, or uranium enriched beyond what older light-water reactors needed but at levels much lower than are needed to produce nuclear weapons.
According to a March 28 presentation by the DOE, most advanced reactor concepts currently under development in the U.S. require HALUE with enrichments ranging from greater than 5% up to 19.75%. With the expected development of such advanced reactors in the coming ten years, including mostly HALEU-fueled microreactors with capacities of 50 MW or less, the Nuclear Energy Institute, or NEI, estimated in a July 2018 letter to the DOE that HALEU's commercial market in the U.S. will grow to more than 100 metric tons by 2026 and nearly 600 MT by 2030.
In a press release, the ClearPath Action, a clean energy-focused conservative political action committee, described HALEU as the "nuclear equivalent of premium gasoline, which doesn't currently have a commercial supply in the U.S."
"Without a domestic HALEU supply, new startup companies will be unable to develop their designs without importing fuel from Russia," said ClearPath Action Executive Director Rich Powell. "Filling this supply here would allow the U.S. to take a major step toward catching up with China and Russia, who have been trying to corner the advanced reactor technology and fuel market."
Already, in January, the DOE took the initial step of establishing a three-year, $115 million program to produce domestic HALEU fuel for small advanced reactors by October 2020. In addition, H.R. 1760 would create new regulations and new transportation infrastructure, including requiring appropriate licensing for HALEU fuel cycle facilities and authorizing DOE research into new types of transportation packaging for HALEU.
Sean Finnerty, director of federal affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute, said in a statement that the bill outlines a pathway for developing, manufacturing and transporting the next-generation fuels to power future advanced nuclear reactors. "While House passage of H.R. 1760 is a positive development, we encourage the Senate to consider this legislation as soon as possible," he said.
Legislation to fund and reauthorize DOE's State Energy Program
The House also passed by a voice vote on Sept. 9 the bipartisan Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act, or H.R. 2114. Sponsored by Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush, D-Ill., and Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Fred Upton, R-Mich. The bill seeks to reauthorize the DOE's State Energy Program and improve the physical and cybersecurity of energy fuel and electric infrastructure by requiring states to maintain a State Energy Security Plan as a condition for receiving funding under the plan. The legislation would also increase the program's funding.
"Secure and efficient energy infrastructure is absolutely critical to combatting the growing climate crisis, keeping electricity bills low, and ensuring our communities are safe," said Rush and Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., in a joint statement.
Pallone and Rush urged the Senate to take up without delay both H.R. 1760 and H.R. 2114.
