nuclear-news

The World Is Racing to Develop New Nuclear Fuels

Oil Price, By Felicity Bradstock – Jun 28, 2026,

• Advanced reactors and SMRs increasingly require fuels such as HALEU, but commercial supplies remain limited outside Russia and China.
• The U.S. and U.K. are investing heavily in domestic uranium enrichment to strengthen nuclear fuel security.
• Several reactor developers are adopting LEU+ as a more readily available alternative while domestic HALEU production expands.

…………………………………………………………….. Accessing HALEU and TRISO at scale remains a challenge, as the China National Nuclear Corporation is the only commercial-scale producer of TRISO fuels, and Russia’s TENEX is the only commercial-scale supplier of HALEU. This has driven several companies in the United States and across Europe to explore alternative fuels to power SMRs, to shift reliance away from Russia and China.

While several companies continue to rely on Russia for their uranium supplies, some countries are looking to develop a domestic HALEU production capacity, while many companies are exploring the potential of using alternative, more easily accessible uranium fuels to power operations. https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/The-World-Is-Racing-to-Develop-New-Nuclear-Fuels.html

July 1, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | ENERGY