The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a license amendment allowing Framatome's fuel fabrication facility in Richland, Washington, to manufacture TRISO fuel for advanced reactor designs. The approval raises the plant's permitted uranium enrichment level from 6.5 percent to just under 10 percent, giving the facility the ability to convert uranium hexafluoride into the oxide powders used in high temperature fuel forms. Framatome submitted the license amendment request in September 2024 as part of an effort to expand domestic fuel making capacity ahead of a wave of advanced reactor deployments. The company operates the Richland site through a joint venture with Standard Nuclear called Standard Nuclear-Framatome, which plans to begin producing metric ton quantities of TRISO fuel annually once equipment commissioning starts. Framatome said the approval also positions the site for future production of high assay low enriched uranium fuel enriched up to 20 percent, and the company has applied for Department of Energy HALEU availability funding to support that expansion.

In a separate development, Lightbridge Corporation and Quadrant Nuclear Industries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a framework for long term HALEU fuel supply. Quadrant is developing a production facility at Idaho National Laboratory designed to produce up to 18 tonnes of HALEU annually. The two companies will discuss supply planning, technical requirements, and regulatory coordination for future fuel deliveries. Lightbridge is developing its own advanced fuel technology for existing reactors and for small modular reactors, and executives from both companies described the agreement as a step toward building a more reliable domestic fuel supply chain for the next generation of American reactors.

Source: World Nuclear News - https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/triso-approval-haleu-pact-advance-us-nuclear-fuel