Energy Department awards $2.7B to boost nuclear fuels supply chain

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Department of Energy announced it has awarded $2.7 billion in orders to three companies as part of a program aimed at boosting the development of domestic uranium enrichment supply chains over the next decade to support the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.The program is part of an initiative begun in 2024 aimed at ending the country’s reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium, such as Russia, which currently dominates the global market for specialized nuclear fuels.These efforts are focused on rebuilding U.S. production of Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) to ensure fuel supplies for the nation’s 94 existing commercial reactors, while simultaneously developing High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) –enriched between 5% and 20% – to power future deployments of advanced nuclear reactors.“President Trump is catalyzing a resurgence in the nation’s nuclear energy sector to strengthen American security and prosperity,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chri