FUEL & FUEL CYCLE | ADVANCED FUELS


Above: Urenco signed a HALEU agreement with Radiant which will support development of its Kaleidos microreactor


developers. “They’re getting some allocations from DOE


to do testing, to do first criticality. On a commercial scale, we’ll see how the testing goes, but it’s absolutely real,” says Poortman. The company announced the signing of its first HALEU


agreement in September with Radiant, a California- based microreactor developer, which is among the DOE’s allocation recipients. The Radiant deal, which will support development of its Kaleidos microreactor, is the first binding commercial contract by a US advanced reactor developer for Western HALEU enrichment services. In a statement Urenco Chief Executive, Boris Schucht


noted this deal “represents a very positive step for the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the industry.” Urenco has also confirmed several other entities have


also received allocations and entered agreements with a mix of LEU+ and HALEU. And, in July, Aalo Atomics signed a contract with Urenco for delivery of LEU to 5% enrichment that will be fabricated into fuel pins to power the Aalo-X experimental reactor. This is an interim step towards the LEU+ enriched to 8% that will fuel its commercial Aalo Pod while using the same standardised fuel form. Aalo says the contract is the first time a Western company


has commercially sourced nuclear fuel for a next-generation power plant. By buying its fuel on commercial terms, Aalo adds that the move lets it sidestep potential supply chain bottlenecks and build momentum for a resilient Western fuel market. Aalo is already negotiating follow on agreements for 8% enriched UF₆. This activity, Urenco argues, is a sign of how rapidly the


market can move once policy and early testing milestones converge. As Poortman observes: “These companies acted really, really quickly and that is the promise and the challenge of this market. If they’re successful in modular construction, mass manufacturing, small components the


24 | December 2025 | www.neimagazine.com


vision is really to build hundreds or thousands of these. The supply chain then needs to step up quickly.” Alongside HALEU, several reactor developers are also


exploring the use of LEU+ for core physics testing prior to availability of full-assay HALEU. The may serve an interim role but does potentially have an economic impact. “LEU+ can be used. It gives them some results but it


decreases their margins in the long run, because they have to refuel more often,” explains Mori Nonetheless, this staged approach may help reduce timeline pressure on the HALEU supply chain while maintaining reactor programme momentum. LEU+ is advantageous to Urenco as well, because it can be produced using existing infrastructure without requiring the dedicated systems of the HALEU facility. That means the company can support early testing programmes without sacrificing long-term HALEU readiness.


The global opportunity Although Capenhurst will host the world’s first commercial- scale HALEU centrifuge plant, Urenco anticipates that the next logical location for expansion is the United States. “In my opinion, the next one would be in the US, because


that’s where the market is evolving most rapidly,” says Poortman. Urenco already operates enrichment facilities in the US in


New Mexico and if HALEU demand accelerates significantly could be the likely candidate for a second dedicated facility. “We definitely have the competence, but also the space and the opportunity. There are learning opportunities as well, having done it once. So we expect the US plant to be a ‘copy and paste’,” Poortman adds. Recently Urenco USA received authorisation from the US


Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to enrich uranium up to 10% ²³⁵U, which allows the company to become the first commercial uranium enricher to produce LEU+ in the USA.


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