In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $16 million is available through a new High-Assay Low-Enrichment (HALEU) Transportation Package Funding Opportunity to research, develop, and acquire Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing for HALEU transportation packages. DOE aims to develop long-term economical solutions for the transportation of HALEU through the development of new transportation packages or the modification of existing packages.
“Transportation is the key link connecting all parts of our domestic HALEU supply chain,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dr. Mike Goff. “DOE is actively assessing industry needs and is committed to developing highly efficient and cost effective methods for HALEU transportation.”
HALEU is uranium enriched greater than 5 and less than 20 weight percent U-235, which increases the amount of fissile material to make the fuel more efficient relative to lower-enriched forms of uranium. Many advanced reactor designs require HALEU to achieve smaller designs, longer operating cycles, and increased efficiencies over current technologies.
There are limited licensed options to transport HALEU, including the use of highly enriched uranium casks, which can be costly and time consuming.
To support additional advancements in package concepts based on existing package designs or in development and support fundamentally new package designs, DOE has identified two topics areas for application.
Topic Area 1:
Applications for NRC certification of new package design concepts.
DOE intends this topic for concepts that will likely require sufficient award duration and funding to achieve cost competitive, economically viable transportation packages.
Topic Area 2:
Applications for NRC certification of modification to existing design packages.
DOE intends this topic for concepts that are further along in the development and require less time and costs associated with achieving NRC certificate of compliance (CoC).
Awards under Topic Area 1 will have a performance period of up to three years, while awards made under Topic Area 2 will have a performance period of up to two years.
Applications are due by 5:00 PM ET on January 21, 2025.
The Energy Act of 2020 authorizes DOE to establish and carry out a program to support the availability of HALEU for civilian domestic research, development, demonstration, and commercial use. DOE established the HALEU Availability Program to respond to this congressional direction. The program will prioritize addressing long-standing and persistent environmental justice issues and be responsive to President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provided $700 million to the HALEU Availability Program.
