- According to a U.S. government report, research on changing fuel for nuclear reactors on Navy submarines and aircraft carriers from bomb-grade uranium to a safer option has continued to advance
- To lower proliferation risks of keeping stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, since 2028, the U.S. government has been studying the use of low-enriched fuel that cannot be used as missile material in weapons
- The report sent to Congress by the NNSA in 2022 showed that the U.S. research program progressed from the planning phase into an “iterative experimental campaign phase” in the 2021 fiscal year
WASHINGTON D.C.: Despite funding being at risk in Congress, according to a U.S. government report, research on changing fuel for nuclear reactors on Navy submarines and aircraft carriers from bomb-grade uranium to a safer option has continued to advance.
To lower proliferation risks of keeping stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, since 2028, the U.S. government has been studying the use of low-enriched fuel that cannot be used as missile material in weapons.
The report sent to Congress by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in 2022 showed that the U.S. research program progressed from the planning phase into an “iterative experimental campaign phase” in the 2021 fiscal year, and early findings showed progress in what could be a 20 to 25-year effort.
The report added that the low-enriched uranium fuel program aims to meet “the stringent requirements for the power output, compact size, and long-life the U.S. Navy requires.”
It also noted a 2016 report’s findings that it could cost more than US$1 billion to develop alternative fuel, but low-enriched fuel would negatively impact reactor endurance, ship costs and operational effectiveness.
The costs could detract from higher-priority non-proliferation and naval propulsion research and development activities, the 2022 report stressed.
In her response to the report, NNSA Jill Hruby said she was pleased with program’s progress “in this technically challenging effort.”
Alan Kuperman, coordinator at the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project, who pushed the government to embrace low-enriched uranium for Navy vessels and obtained the documents from NNSA, said, “These documents clarify three things for the first time. The program is vital to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, is making rapid progress, and will be implemented only if it can preserve the performance of U.S. Navy vessels.”
The potential $1 billion cost for the fuel was small compared to trillions spent on the Navy’s nuclear fleet, added Kuperman, who is also a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
