French company says agreement is major advancement for global nuclear industry
French nuclear company Framatome has signed what it called a “groundbreaking” commercial contract to deliver the world’s first nuclear fuel reload with uranium-235 enrichment above the industry standard of 5% to a US nuclear reactor in operation.
The company said the agreement represents a major advancement for the global nuclear industry, enabling the first reactor in operation to extend its cycle lengths and burnup rates through this advanced technology.
“The contract establishes a new benchmark for innovation, performance and industry collaboration,” a statement said.
Under the agreement, and as part of its advanced fuel management (AFM) programme, Framatome will supply a series of higher enriched fuel reloads using AFM technology, beginning with delivery in spring 2028. These reloads will support the long-term deployment of AFM for the reactor, with options for additional future reloads included in the contract.
The agreement builds on ongoing deliveries of standard Gaia fuel, Framatome's most advanced pressurised water reactor fuel design, which serves as the foundation for these AFM enabled reloads.
With AFM, the US customer, who Framatome did not name, will extend its fuel cycle length from 18 to 24 months, reducing outage frequency and enhancing operational efficiency and power generation.
The advanced fuel has been developed by Framatome and will be manufactured at its facility in Richland, Washington.
The facility has undergone upgrades and modifications over the past four years to support implementation of the advanced fuel technology.
In July the facility received US regulatory approval for the fabrication of fuel with increased uranium enrichments and to manufacture fuel with higher burnup limits.
Standard fuel used in operating light-water reactors uses low-enriched uranium (LEU) with enrichment levels up to about 4.8%. Higher-enriched fuel of up to 10%, known as LEU+, offers improved nuclear fuel cycle economics for operating reactors.
Nuclear fuel enrichment levels measure the percentage of the fissile isotope uranium-235 (U-235) relative to the non-fissionable uranium-238.
