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U.S. Completes Mechanical Property Measurements of Irradiated HALEU TRISO Fuel Particles

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have completed mechanical property measurements of irradiated high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) TRISO fuel particles, providing new experimental data for the development and qualification of next-generation nuclear fuels. This is an optical cross-sectional image of an irradiated AGR-2 TRISO fuel particle in the Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Image credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy. TRISO fuel, or tri-structural isotropic fuel, features particles coated with multiple protective layers, typically including pyrolytic carbon layers and a silicon carbide layer. This structure provides strong fission product retention capability and is considered one of the key fuel options for advanced reactors, particularly high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Understanding the property changes of these coatings after irradiation is a critical step in predicting fuel performance under reactor operating conditions.

2026-09-04

U.S. Laboratory and Company Collaborate to Advance TRISO Thorium Fuel Development

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the United States is collaborating with micro nuclear reactor startup AMPERA to advance next-generation reactor fuel development using novel metal particle manufacturing technology. The collaboration focuses on tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel, aiming to provide more durable fuel solutions for advanced reactors operating at higher temperatures and with longer service lifetimes. Small modular nuclear fission reactors are viewed as a distributed energy option deployable in remote areas, military installations, and industrial sites. Compared with traditional light-water reactors, some advanced reactors...

2026-09-01

Antares and Standard Nuclear Sign Multi-Year TRISO Fuel Supply Agreement

Antares Nuclear, Inc. of the United States recently announced that it has signed a binding multi-year fuel supply agreement with Standard Nuclear to secure advanced nuclear fuel supply for its compact microreactor program. Under the agreement, Standard Nuclear will supply up to 8 metric tons of uranium (MTU) of tristructural isotropic particle fuel, or TRISO fuel, to Antares Nuclear by 2035. This fuel will be used in the microreactor currently being developed by Antares. Designed for demanding operating environments such as ground-based and space applications, this class of reactors aims to provide reliable power for national defense, aerospace, and off-grid critical infrastructure...

2026-08-28

AMPERA and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Collaborate to Develop Advanced Nuclear Fuel

AMPERA announced on August 26 that it has established a strategic partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which operates under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) system. The two parties will collaborate on next-generation advanced nuclear fuels, with a focus on applications such as compact nuclear energy systems and subcritical reactor platforms. Under the collaboration arrangement, the two parties will jointly advance the development of manufacturing processes related to tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. Project objectives include improving the reliability, licensability, and scalability of fuel manufacturing,...

2026-08-27

US TRISO-X TX-1 Advanced Nuclear Fuel Facility Enters Next Construction Phase

TRISO-X, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-energy, announced on August 24 that its TX-1 advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has entered the next construction phase. With the vertical structure of the facility nearing completion, the project will transition to auxiliary building construction, interior finishing, and equipment installation. The facility is positioned as the first commercial facility in the United States dedicated to producing tristructural isotropic fuel for advanced reactors, and will provide fuel support for X-energy's Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in the future. X-energy is collaborating with Dow to advance the first deployment of the Xe-100 reactor...

2026-08-25

US Standard Nuclear and Radiant Sign TRISO Fuel Supply Agreement

Standard Nuclear announced on August 20 that it has signed a binding TRISO nuclear fuel supply agreement with Radiant Industries, Inc. of the United States. Under the agreement, Radiant will receive a multi-ton supply of TRISO fuel, with deliveries continuing through 2031, to support its microreactor deployment plans. Standard Nuclear, headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, states that it is currently the only company in the United States with an industrial-scale TRISO fuel manufacturing facility. The agreement is aimed at Radiant's Kaleidos microreactor currently under development. The reactor has a power output of 1 megawatt and is designed to be transportable...

2026-08-21

TRISO-X and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extend Advanced Nuclear Fuel R&D Collaboration

TRISO-X announced on August 11 that it has extended its Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The newly signed agreement has a term of 30 months and will continue to advance commercial-scale development of TRISO fuel, manufacturing process optimization, and technology transfer, building on the collaboration established since 2016. TRISO-X is a wholly-owned subsidiary of X-energy, primarily engaged in advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing. Under the agreement, TRISO-X will continue to operate its existing pilot-scale facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with a focus on transitioning TRISO fuel from laboratory R&D to commercial-scale manufacturing. The collaboration includes optimizing fuel...

2026-08-12

X-Energy and Centrus Sign HALEU Supply Agreement, Accelerating U.S. Advanced Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain

X-Energy and Centrus Energy have signed a low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium supply agreement, marking a more concrete commercialization phase in fuel assurance for U.S. advanced nuclear reactors. Under the agreement, Centrus will provide uranium enrichment services at its American Centrifuge Plant in Pike County, Ohio, with the HALEU to be supplied to X-Energy's fuel subsidiary TRISO-X for the production of TRISO-coated particle fuel at its Oak Ridge, Tennessee fuel fabrication facility, serving the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled small modular reactor. The significance of this agreement lies not only in the supply itself but also in its phased advance payment arrangement. X-Energy will support Centrus through advance payments...

2026-08-07

US Firm Standard Nuclear's Two New TRISO Fuel Plants to Enter Production by 2026, Expanding Independent US Capacity

US nuclear fuel manufacturer Standard Nuclear announced that "major construction is substantially complete" at its two TRISO fuel production facilities, SN-TN in Tennessee and SN-ID in Idaho, and that the US Department of Energy has approved the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA) for both plants. The two facilities share an identical design and are expected to sequentially commence commissioning and licensing before the end of 2026. Authorized under the DOE's "Fuel Line Pilot Program," each plant will initially produce up to 1 metric ton of uranium (MTU) per year of TRISO fuel, with a combined ramp-up target of 5 MTU/year in the long term, forming a tiered supply alongside the company's existing SN-0 facility (0.5 MTU/year) operating in Oak Ridge. Standard Nuclear describes itself as "the only independent TRISO fuel manufacturer in the US," having been restructured from the fuel business of Ultra Safe Nuclear following its bankruptcy in 2024 (with USNC's reactor business acquired by Nano Nuclear). Its operations cover power reactor fuel as well as space and defense radioisotope power sources. The company also participates in the DOE's Fuel Line Pilot and Surplus Plutonium Disposition programs, has been allocated HALEU by the DOE for fuel fabrication, and has established a joint-venture TRISO line at Framatome's NRC-licensed fuel facility in Richland, Washington.

2026-08-06

TRISO-X Expands Oak Ridge Nuclear Fuel Campus with Approximately 70 Additional Acres

TRISO-X, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Energy, Inc., announced on August 4 that it has acquired approximately 70 acres of land near its commercial nuclear fuel campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to support the continued construction and long-term expansion of its fuel manufacturing facility. Following the acquisition, TRISO-X's total campus footprint in the area has expanded to approximately 180 acres. The land acquisition was announced at a meeting of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board. The newly acquired land comprises two separate parcels and will provide additional space for utility access, equipment staging, fuel storage, and future...

2026-08-05

X-energy Joins Project Prometheus, Supporting AI-Driven Nuclear Energy R&D with Xe-100 and TRISO-X

On July 22, X-energy announced it had become a founding member of the "Prometheus" initiative and would participate as a Tier 1 partner. Led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), NVIDIA, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the initiative aims to levera

2026-07-23