A new federal strategy for strengthening the United States’ nuclear energy industry will pay dividends in promoting global nonproliferation, Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette said Friday.
“Our nation’s credibility as a supporter of nonproliferation depends upon a robust civilian industry and our technological leadership in the global marketplace,” he said during a webinar organized by DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy. “In short, if our industry cannot compete in the international market, our commitment to influence global nonproliferation, security, and the safety standards that we all advocate for loses credibility.”
The online session offered a discussion between government officials and industry representatives on a department strategy released in April, “Restoring America’s Competitive Nuclear Energy Advantage.” The document was the result of work by the administration’s Nuclear Fuel Working Group established last year.
The strategy lays out several steps for the United States to enhance its position at an exporter of nuclear energy technology, which it says has been ceded to China and Russia. That begins with creating a uranium reserve, with the Nuclear Energy office purchasing the material from domestic mines and signing deals for uranium conversion. The Trump administration has proposed $150 million in fiscal 2021 to stand up this program.
This step would be followed by further investments in research, development, and demonstration of advanced nuclear technologies, which would then be pushed into the global marketplace, according to the strategy.
The report notes that the federal government needs low-enriched uranium for generating tritium used to increase the explosive power of nuclear weapons, along with highly enriched uranium for the reactors that power naval vessels.
“[T]he strategy if it’s fully implemented, will help ensure that we meet tomorrow’s needs for defending our country,” Brouillette said. “By any measure, America has a well-defined defense need that greatly depends upon a healthy fuel cycle, and, more specifically, an abundant uranium supply.”
