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Keyword：enriched uranium
South Korea's Nuclear Expansion Faces Fuel Supply Pressure as Enriched Uranium Costs Surge Nearly Sixfold in Seven Years
Against the backdrop of accelerating global nuclear power construction and surging electricity demand from AI data centers, the nuclear fuel supply chain is facing new tensions. Due to limited uranium enrichment capacity and sanctions affecting Russian-related supplies, international uranium enrichment prices have risen sharply over the past seven years. South Korea's nuclear expansion plans are consequently facing fuel procurement pressure, with industry experts concerned that if mid- to long-term nuclear fuel security proves insufficient, newly built nuclear units could face operational risks in the future. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) recently disclosed that South Korea's domestic annual enriched uranium consumption is expected to increase from approximately 460 tons currently to about 540 tons next year. The rising demand mainly stems from the overlap between life-extension operations of some older nuclear units and the commissioning of new units...
2026-08-18
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
South Korea Establishes New Specialized Agency to Advance Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Project
South Korea's Ministry of National Defense stated on the 11th that President Lee Jae-myung presided over a State Council meeting that day, deliberating and approving amendments to the "Enforcement Decree on the Organization of the Ministry of National Defense and Its Affiliated Agencies" and the "Enforcement Decree on the Organization of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Its Affiliated Agencies." Under the amendments, South Korea will establish a new specialized agency to advance the nuclear-powered submarine construction project. According to the relevant arrangements, a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Policy Planning Group will be established under the Ministry of National Defense, responsible for coordinating the formulation of policies and systems required for nuclear-powered submarine construction and facilitating cooperation among relevant agencies. On the side of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the existing Korean Submarine Project Group is planned to be reorganized and expanded into a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Group, with the concurrent establishment of a Nuclear-Powered Submarine Project Team and a Nuclear Power System Project Team...
2026-08-12
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
SuperCritical Obtains Exclusive License for Uranium Extraction from Seawater Technology, Plans Industrial Deployment in the United States
SuperCritical Materials Corp., a U.S. developer of nuclear fuel and critical materials infrastructure, announced on July 24 that it has obtained an exclusive license from Battelle Memorial Institute for a patented uranium adsorbent technology used to extract uranium from seawater. The technology was originally developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and its research partners. Battelle Memorial Institute currently manages eight national laboratories for the U.S. federal government. SuperCritical stated that the technology has been verified to extract uranium from seawater...
2026-07-30
The U.S. Department of Energy conditionally allocates HALEU fuel to NASA and Radiant.
On July 23, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a conditional commitment to provide High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) to NASA and Radiant Industries to meet near-term fuel needs. This marks the third round of HALEU allocations; the materia
2026-07-27
The U.S. Department of Energy conditionally allocates HALEU fuel to NASA and Radiant.
On July 23, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a conditional commitment to provide High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) to NASA and Radiant Industries to meet near-term fuel needs. This marks the third round of HALEU allocations; the materia
2026-07-27