US picks 5 firms to advance recycling of used nuclear reactor fuel

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has awarded $19 million to five companies to advance technologies for recycling spent nuclear reactor fuel. This initiative aims to tackle the economic and technological challenges of nuclear fuel recycling in the U.S., which currently generates significant nuclear waste—approximately 90,000 metric tons managed mostly in temporary storage due to the absence of a permanent disposal facility. Despite the U.S. being the world’s largest producer of nuclear energy, less than 5 percent of the potential energy in nuclear fuel is extracted, highlighting the opportunity for recycling to reduce nuclear waste by up to 90 percent. Notably, recycling commercial nuclear fuel has been prohibited since 1977, though military programs have recycled nuclear waste for decades. The selected companies, which meet strict non-proliferation and security standards, will focus on diverse aspects of nuclear fuel recycling over projects lasting up to three years. For example, Alpha Nur Inc. will develop processes to recover highly enriched uranium for use in