Tomich, J. (2023, November 2). Inside One company’s quest to revive U.S. Nuclear Power. E&E News by POLITICO. https://www.eenews.net/articles/inside-one-companys-quest-to-revive-u-s-nuclear-power
The opening of Centrus Energy’s American Centrifuge plant in Piketon, Ohio, marked the first domestically owned uranium enrichment production on U.S. soil in 70 years. The plant is licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to produce high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, a crucial fuel for the next generation of U.S. reactors. The Department of Energy estimates a need for over 40 metric tons of HALEU by the end of the decade to achieve President Joe Biden’s goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035. However, the industry faces skepticism, with critics questioning feasibility and cost-effectiveness. Not only does Centrus Energy need customers to sell their HALEU to, but the $700 million allocated for HALEU production is just one-fifth of the estimated $3.5 billion needed.
Nuclear energy is complicated and requires a lot of commitment to go through with. This article sheds some light on what is needed for more nuclear energy to be feasible in the US by showing Centrus Energy’s new project on building a plant to produce HALEU. This is important for the future of nuclear energy in the US as it puts more money into nuclear energy and sets up the production of more plants in the future that can use HALEU. The issues that they are running into are the cost of the plant versus the funding they got (again, financial issues), and if this expansion will actually pay off in the future. It will be hard for this plant to sell their HALEU, so the government may have to be the first customer of the company so they can stay afloat in the long-run until more nuclear plants catch on.
This is very interesting to hear about because we are now starting to produce uranium locally. It is probably much more efficient than to import it from other countries. Do you think it will be worth it to move on with the plant, despite all of the financial concerns?
Seeing as the article talks about Centrus Energy’s project to make nuclear power more common in the U.S and they’re building a plant in Ohio to make a special kind of fuel for new reactors. The government wants more clean energy, but there are worries about costs and if there will be enough buyers for the fuel. The government might need to buy it first to help the company. How do you think they can convince more people to support and use nuclear power?