WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy is advancing a new phase of its nuclear strategy, providing domestic companies with high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to bolster the nation’s nuclear energy sector and reduce reliance on foreign fuel sources. The effort is part of a broader push to revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry and achieve ambitious clean energy goals.
According to a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) statement released on August 26, 2025, the government has made conditional commitments to provide HALEU to three U.S. companies to meet near-term fuel needs. This allocation, part of the HALEU Availability Program established in 2020, is intended to support the testing and deployment of next-generation advanced reactors. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated, “We’re reducing our dependence on foreign-sourced minerals while giving the private sector the boost it needs to succeed.” The program is also aimed at jumpstarting a new domestic advanced fuel line.
The United States has a limited domestic enrichment capacity, with the Urenco-operated National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, New Mexico, being the only commercial plant. However, as noted by the DOE, the development of advanced reactors requires HALEU, a type of uranium enriched to between 5% and 20% of the U-235 isotope, which is more concentrated than the fuel used in traditional reactors. The DOE has partnered with companies like Centrus Energy Corp. to produce this material at a facility in Piketon, Ohio. According to the DOE, this demonstration project has already produced over 100 kilograms of HALEU and is expected to ramp up production to 900 kilograms.
This push for a secure domestic supply chain is a key component of the U.S. goal to quadruple its nuclear capacity to 400 gigawatts by 2050, as outlined in a May 2025 administration target, a report from the World Nuclear Association states. The effort is supported by initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which provides tax incentives for both existing and new nuclear development. A recent report from the Working Group on U.S. Nuclear Energy Dominance emphasized that private industry cannot achieve this growth without “strong government policy support.”
