X-energy is a nuclear reactor and fuel design engineering company that develops nuclear reactor designs. TRISO-X LLC, an X-energy subsidiary, recently chose Oak Ridge’s Horizon Center Industrial Park in Tennessee as its construction site for a nuclear reactor fuel facility.
The Department of Energy chose X-energy as a recipient for funding through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program in October 2020. The funding was granted for use in the construction of a demonstration plant, which can be operational in seven years. In April 2021, X-energy, Grant Country Public Utility District and Energy Northwest established the Tri-Energy Partnership to build an Xe-100-based plant.
TRISO-X sent in its application for a license to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last year. The company’s approval will make it the first 10 CFR 70 Category-II licensed fuel facility in America. The facility, dubbed the TF3 or the TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility, will produce eight tons of fuel annually. This figure is more than sufficient and can support more than 10 small Xe-100 modular reactors.
The design of the facility will allow fuel for a number of smaller nuclear reactors or advanced reactors based on the nuclear fuel to be manufactured. Tri-structural isotropic-fuel particles (TRISO) comprises of a uranium dioxide or uranium oxybarbide kernel, which is enclosed in layers of silicon carbide and carbon. This allows fission products to be contained and remain stable, even at extremely high temperatures.
The fuel for the Xe-100, gas-cooled, high-temperature modular reactor comprises of pebbles, each of which has 18,000 TRISO particles. One spherical pebble is roughly six centimeters in diameter.
X-energy revealed that TF3 would be a nuclear-fuel fabrication facility that would use highly enriched uranium in the manufacture of fuel products for various small and advanced modular reactors. TRISO-X’s objective is to increase the facility’s production capacity to 16 tons annually by the year 2030.
Under this project, the nuclear reactor and fuel design engineering company will be required to unveil a commercial-scale fuel fabrication facility in addition to delivering a commercial four-unit power plant that’s Xe-100 based.
Pete Pappano, the president of TRISO-X, stated that the Energy Department referred to TRISO as the strongest nuclear fuel on the planet, explaining that the new facility would bring this fuel to the market. The fuel fabrication facility will also support various projects financed by the government, including mobile reactors for space, nuclear or military projects.
Currently, TRISO-X operates a pair of facilities in the state of Tennessee: its Research and Development Center and the TRISO-X Pilot Facility. As such facilities are opened, the uptick in domestic demand for uranium could give the stocks of entities such as Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) a boost over the coming years.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/UUUU
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