Framatome NRC approval lifts enrichment cap and enables TRISO fabrication as HALEU supply MoU advances

NRC authorises higher enrichment and TRISO fabrication

Framatome has been granted approval for a licence amendment request (LAR) submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in September 2024. The request sought permission for the plant to handle uranium enriched up to 10%, up from the current 6.5%, to expand domestic capacity for advanced reactor fuels including tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel.

In a 26 June letter, the Commission confirmed that it would grant the LAR to increase the enrichment limit in materials licence SNM-1227 and authorise TRISO fuel fabrication. The approval also enables the site to use its dry conversion process to convert uranium hexafluoride (UF6) to uranium oxide (UO2 and U3O8) powder for reactor types requiring enrichment levels higher than those used in existing light water reactors, including TRISO fuel.

Framatome said the LAR approval is a major milestone for the Framatome and Standard Nuclear joint venture, named Standard Nuclear-Framatome, which is intended to support on-time fuel delivery commitments. The company described TRISO fuel as spherical kernels of enriched uranium oxycarbide (or uranium dioxide) surrounded by layers of carbon and silicon carbide, intended to contain fission products and remain stable at very high temperatures.

Framatome said the Richland site plans to start manufacturing UO2 powder and TRISO particles in 2027 to meet current demand. It also stated that Standard Nuclear-Framatome aims to start producing 2 tonnes of TRISO fuel annually, and said the joint venture is on schedule to start equipment commissioning in the near term and begin producing metric ton levels of TRISO fuel annually as capacity scales for the incoming advanced reactor fleet in the United States.

NRC approval raised the enrichment limit in materials licence SNM-1227 to less than 10.0 wt percent U-235.
The approval authorises TRISO fuel fabrication using the site’s dry conversion process.

HALEU supply collaboration framework expands

Separately, Advanced nuclear fuel developer Lightbridge Corporation and Quadrant Nuclear Industries Inc (QNI) have entered into a memorandum of understanding to establish a framework for collaboration on the long-term supply of HALEU fuel.

The MoU covers discussions on the potential supply and long-term offtake of HALEU produced at QNI’s planned Vanguard facility at Idaho National Laboratory. QNI is developing an integrated HALEU production capability in coordination with the DOE and other stakeholders, with the Vanguard facility designed to produce up to 18 tonnes of HALEU annually at full capacity for both commercial and government markets for advanced nuclear reactors.

The companies intend to collaborate on fuel supply planning, technical interface requirements, commercial structuring, regulatory coordination, and logistics considerations associated with HALEU supply arrangements.

Framatome also linked the enrichment approval to future capability, stating that handling enrichment levels up to 10% positions the company for future production of HALEU fuel types enriched up to 20%. It added that an additional licence amendment could follow quickly, and said it has applied for US Department of Energy (DOE) HALEU availability funding.

Lightbridge and QNI will discuss potential supply and long-term offtake of HALEU from QNI’s planned Vanguard facility.
Planned collaboration includes supply planning, regulatory coordination, and logistics considerations.

Political commitment is often the first signal for the supply chain.

The Bulgarian and US governments have once again reaffirmed their commitment to the construction of Kozloduy Units 7 and 8, describing the AP1000 project as a strategic priority in bilateral cooperation. Discussions covered project progress, upcoming implementation stages and potential financing from US export banks.

For suppliers, announcements like this are worth paying attention to.

Projects of this scale are built over many years. Before equipment is ordered, there are engineering studies, owner’s engineering, licensing, qualification, supply chain development and countless procurement activities.

By the time major tenders are published, many suppliers have already established relationships, completed pre-qualification processes and positioned themselves within the project ecosystem.

The companies that benefit most from new nuclear programmes are rarely those who wait for procurement notices.

They are the ones that prepare early.
As more AP1000 projects move from planning to execution across Europe, supplier visibility is becoming a competitive advantage.

If your company is looking to participate in future nuclear projects, now is the time to make yourself visible.

Create your company profile on NucFinder and become part of the global nuclear supply chain.

Shan & Talati

IndiaEngineering, Advisory & Professional Services

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Shan & Talati is now available on NucFinder as a validated supplier.

Shah and Talati is an Engineering and Architectural firm established in 1965 and has been providing professional design services to industrial and infrastructure related markets for the last five decades. With a diverse team of more than 100 structural engineers, architects, project managers, geotechnical engineers, and interior designers, Shah and Talati has clients not only across India but has also managed to span its wings around the world. Shah and Talati has successfully completed projects for various clients, national and international, EPC contractors, Public Sector undertakings as well as public bodies. We have to our credit more than 2500 projects over the span of 50+ years completed successfully. Shah & Talati currently has offices in Baroda and Mumbai.

Site Layout & Zoning

Nuclear Island (NI): Houses the reactor, spent fuel pool, and safety systems. Typically enclosed in a seismic Category I pre-stressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV).
Turbine & Balance of Plant (BoP): Houses the turbine generators. Requires heavy-duty equipment foundations and isolation for high-speed rotary vibrations.
Auxiliary & Radwaste Buildings: Adjacent to the NI, designed for shielding (lead/high-density concrete) and negative air-pressure ventilation to contain airborne contaminants.
Administrative & Switchyard: Located in the low-security, "clean" zone of the premises, well outside the primary radiation shielding footprint.

Civil & Structural Engineering

Seismic Design: Structures must remain elastic without discernible damage during a Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE). Primary foundations often rest on bedrock with base isolation systems.
Missile Protection: External walls and roofs must be reinforced to withstand tornado-borne projectiles, aircraft impacts, or internal high-energy line breaks (HELB).
Shielding: Depending on the zone, walls are detailed using thick Heavy Concrete (e.g., barite or magnetite aggregates) to attenuate neutron and gamma radiation.
Watertightness: Sub-grade structures utilize continuous waterstops, waterproof membranes, and heavy steel liner plates to prevent groundwater ingress and radioactive leaks.

HVAC & Environmental Control

Safety Class HVAC: Redundant HVAC trains must be physically separated. They maintain negative pressure in radioactive zones and positive pressure in control rooms to prevent ingress of hazardous materials.
HEPA & Charcoal Filtration: Engineered safety features include air cleanup units with HEPA filters to trap particulates and charcoal filters for halogens.
Thermal Limits: Premises hosting sensitive electronic I&C (Instrumentation & Control) cabinets must be tightly controlled at 22° C ± 2° C and 40% - 60% relative humidity.

Electrical Distribution (Safety & Non-Safety)

Class 1E Systems: Independent, redundant, and physically separated power systems ensuring uninterrupted power to safety-related premises.
Physical Separation: Safety-related cables are routed in separate, fire-rated trays (3-hour fire rating).
Emergency Power: Seismic Category I structures host redundant emergency diesel generators (EDGs) and battery banks to sustain critical cooling and monitoring for a minimum of 72 hours during total station blackout.

Fire Protection

Hazard Barriers: Compartmentalization using 3-hour fire-rated walls, floors, and doors.
Suppression: The use of gaseous (e.g., FM-200 or Novec 1230) total-flooding systems in I&C and cable-spreading rooms to avoid water damage to sensitive electronics.
Safe Shutdown: Routing of redundant safe-shutdown trains in completely separate fire zones to ensure a fire in one area does not disable the plant's ability to shut down safely.

Codes & Standards Reference

Civil/Structural: ASCE 43 (Seismic Design), ASME BPVC Section III (Containment).
Electrical: IEEE Standards for Nuclear Power (Class 1E circuits).
Safety: IAEA Design of Nuclear Power Plants.

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