Nuclear fuel production could come to Wyoming

The facility could produce fuel for a future generation of advanced reactors that rely on highly enriched uranium, which requires up to 20% radioactive material, five times the enrichment level used in traditional light water reactors.

But even as radioactivity in nuclear fuel increases, the company’s patented TRISO product, described by the Department of Energy as the “most robust nuclear fuel on Earth,” has reduced the risk, said BWXT director of product development Erik Nygaard.

“Historically, you need a lot of civil engineering and really aggressive engineering safeguards to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants. With TRISO fuel, you’re putting all those safeguards into the fuel particles. You have safety by design and safety in the fuel itself,” he told the Star-Tribune before the announcement.

TRISO fuel consists of enriched uranium pellets the size of a poppy seed. These pellets are individually coated with layers of carbon and ceramic material, making them resistant to neutron radiation and high temperatures.

In addition to nuclear fuel, the company, which has been contracting for the U.S. government for years, is also working to gain approval from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its advanced BANR microreactor. The 15-megawatt system could fundamentally change the development of natural resources by delivering stable energy to remote locations.

In 2023, BWXT signed a collaboration agreement with Tata Chemicals Soda Ash Partners (TCSAP) that paved the way for the use of microreactors at its Green River trona mines.

It’s part of the company’s deepening partnership with Wyoming and follows a major grant award from the Wyoming Energy Authority. That grant, a combined $20 million in matching commitments, will fund the design and logistics with the ultimate goal of establishing a microreactor manufacturing pipeline in the Cowboy State.

The TRISO fabrication facility is a separate venture and far from being in the works. Wyoming, with the nation’s largest uranium reserves, seems like a smart place to put a nuclear fuel facility. But the company says there are a number of factors that could still lead it to fabricate elsewhere.

“There are so many unknowns. We’re going to spend the next 18 months looking at the feasibility, from the cost and the logistical challenges to the licensing. It’s all going to have to be looked at to see if Wyoming is feasible,” said Christine Courard, the company’s vice president of communications.

The stakes are high, both for BWXT and the state. Demand for energy around the world is expected to rise, and the quest for stable, emission-free electricity has put nuclear power in high demand. With a new generation of advanced reactors about to come online, TRISO fuel could soon be a hot commodity.

BWXT President Joseph Miller told the Star-Tribune that much remains unclear about the nuclear market, but that momentum is building and the company is moving quickly.

“We’re getting a lot of interest in our microreactors from customers, from mining, data centers, to oil and gas producers. And there’s a variety of interest in this system,” Miller said. “While we’re using TRISO to fuel our reactor designs, the intent of this facility is to produce fuel for the entire industry, not just our reactors,”

The coming months will be a pivotal period for the company and for Wyoming.

“In the next one to two years, we will be making decisions on our commercialization plan for BANR. … This will be the first time that this particular fuel has been mass produced,” Miller said.