As Demand Grows, US Nuclear Energy Industry Faces Looming Crunch in Reactor Fuel Supply

Experts laud $2.7 billion outlay to rebuild nation’s capacity to enrich uranium, but warn it may take a decade for domestic production to meet burgeoning need.

The Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant is seen in Middletown, Pa., in the early morning hours of March 28, 2011. Jeff Fusco/Getty Images

SEATTLE—The Department of Energy has invested billions of dollars to encourage U.S. companies to make enriched uranium—essential for advanced nuclear reactors. Last month, $2.7 billion went to three companies for centrifuges and processing plants to produce fuel for reactor cores.

Yet, a fuel crunch that could cobble President Donald Trump’s “nuclear renaissance” initiatives looms as soon as 2028, several experts warned during the two-day U.S. Nuclear Industry Council’s 13th annual Advanced Reactors Summit in Seattle that concluded Feb. 12.