DOE seeks feedback on two RFPs to acquire HALEU for advanced reactors
Summary
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking feedback on two draft requests for proposals (RFPs) to acquire high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU)—a crucial material needed to develop and deploy advanced reactors in the United States. Additionally, it can enable higher power densities and enhanced safety characteristics in certain reactor designs. The first draft RFP focuses on acquiring services for production of HALEU material as uranium hexafluoride (UF ) (enriched up to <20% by weight in the isotope uranium-235). Because the enriched UF must be deconverted to other forms before it can be fabricated into HALEU fuel or put to other use, DOE intends to issue a second solicitation concurrently for HALEU UF deconversion services to convert enriched uranium hexafluoride gas into metal or oxide forms used to fabricate fuels needed by various advanced reactor developers. DOE projects that more than 40 metric tons of HALEU could be needed before the end of the decade, with additional amounts required each year, to deploy a new fleet of advanced reactors in a timeframe that supports a goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.