Framatome contracted the first commercial delivery of higher-enriched fuel (LEU+) for a reactor in the United States.

The French company Framatome has signed the first commercial contract for the supply of nuclear fuel enriched with the uranium-235 (U-235) isotope above the standard industrial limit of 5%, intended for a commercial reactor in the United States, reports World Nuclear News

The delivery of the first fuel assemblies under the Advanced Fuel Management – AFM program is planned for early 2028, with the option of subsequent deliveries. Although Framatome has not disclosed the name of the American operator, it has been confirmed that the new fuel will enable an extension of the reactor operating cycle from 18 to 24 months, thereby directly reducing the frequency of shutdowns for fuel replacement and reducing maintenance costs.

Fuel will be produced at Framatome's facility in Richland, Washington, which has been carrying out the technology change and modernization over the past four years. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved Richland's license to process uranium enriched up to 10% in July this year, while previously, in October 2023, Southern Nuclear received the first license to use Westinghouse fuel enriched to 6% at Vogtle 2 reactor.

Otherwise, LEU+ represents a new category of nuclear fuel in which the share of the fission isotope uranium-235 has been raised from the previous industrial standard of about 4.8% to a level between 5% and 10%. The significantly higher energy density of LEU+ fuel enables operators to extend reactor operating cycles without interruption from 18 to 24 months, thereby directly reducing the frequency of shutdowns for fuel replacement and lowering maintenance costs. In addition to extracting more thermal energy from the same amount of fuel and generating less spent nuclear fuel per produced megawatt-hour, this technology also serves as a key industrial bridge toward the development of HALEU fuel enriched up to 20%, necessary for the operation of advanced small modular reactors.

Comment

Introducing the so-called LEU+ fuel (low-enriched uranium with enrichment between 5% and 10%) represents the greatest operational innovation for the existing fleet of light-water reactors in the last few decades and represents one of the most cost-effective operational innovations for modernizing the existing fleet.

As a key point, we highlight: economics. Because potentially extending the reactor's operating life from 18 to 24 months without interruption yields enormous savings. In addition, it brings a radical increase in production: reducing downtime offline (not connected to the grid) during the entire operating cycle over a 60- to 80- (and perhaps as much as 100-) year period dramatically increases the already very large capacity factor of nuclear power plants.

S.A.