From Centralization to Consent: A New Waste Strategy
The last two decades have seen a fundamental pivot in U.S. nuclear waste policy, moving from a single, federally mandated repository to a more flexible, consent-based approach, while the technological pursuit of advanced fuel cycles has continued to mature.
The Old Paradigm (Pre-2010)
Focus: Yucca Mountain as the sole geologic repository.
Strategy: Top-down, federally mandated site selection.
R&D: Driven by the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) to develop a closed fuel cycle with fast reactors.
The New Paradigm (Post-2012 BRC Report)
Focus: Consent-based siting for new facilities.
Strategy: Develop consolidated interim storage sites while seeking a permanent solution.
R&D: Rise of public-private partnerships, like the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), to commercialize innovative designs.
The Vision: Closing the Fuel Cycle
Early research (2007-2010) at Idaho National Laboratory, under the AFCI, focused on pyroprocessing. This electrochemical method recycles spent nuclear fuel to separate long-lived actinide elements, turning them into new fuel for fast reactors, drastically reducing waste longevity.
Existing Reactors
(Separates Elements)
Advanced Reactors
(Reduced Volume)
A New Generation of Reactors Emerges
The U.S. is now backing a diverse portfolio of advanced reactor designs through programs like the ARDP. These reactors promise enhanced safety, efficiency, and smaller footprints, but most share a common requirement: a new type of fuel unavailable at commercial scale.
Advanced Reactor Designs
are currently supported by the DOE's HALEU Consortium, signaling strong future demand.
The Fuel: HALEU
High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium is enriched to between 5% and 20% Uranium-235. This higher enrichment allows for smaller, more efficient reactor designs with longer refueling cycles compared to traditional fuel (~3-5% enrichment).
The Demand Driver
Nearly all next-generation reactors, from molten salt to sodium-cooled fast reactors, are designed to run on HALEU. Without a stable supply, demonstrating and deploying this new fleet of carbon-free energy sources is impossible.
The Strategic Vulnerability: A HALEU Bottleneck
The push for advanced reactors has exposed a critical gap in the nuclear supply chain. While demand is projected to soar, the ability to produce HALEU at commercial scale is virtually nonexistent in the West, creating a significant dependency on Russia.
Global Uranium Enrichment Market Share
Russia is the only country with a commercial-scale capacity to produce HALEU, controlling a significant portion of the entire global enrichment market. This gives it immense leverage over the future of advanced nuclear energy.
U.S. HALEU Demand vs. Production
The projected annual demand for HALEU from advanced reactors dwarfs current and near-term U.S. production capabilities, starkly illustrating the supply bottleneck that must be overcome for the industry to move forward.
Building a Domestic HALEU Supply Chain
Recognizing this vulnerability, the U.S. government and private industry are taking crucial steps to establish a domestic HALEU production capability, aiming to fuel the next generation of nuclear reactors and secure energy independence.
DOE's HALEU Availability Program
The Department of Energy is jump-starting the market by contracting for HALEU production. This provides a guaranteed customer for initial producers, de-risking the massive private investment needed to build new enrichment facilities.
Centrus Energy's Pioneering Role
In 2023, Centrus began operations at its Piketon, Ohio plant, becoming the first domestic producer of HALEU. By mid-2025, it successfully produced its first 900 kg, a critical first step in building a larger national capacity.