Clear government policies are needed as the nuclear energy industry looks to end its reliance on Russia for fuel enrichment and increase domestic supplies for the rollout of advanced reactors.

A joint report by the US-based Electric Power Research Institute and Nuclear Energy Institute lays out a roadmap outlines an achievable path for the deployment of advanced reactors as part of the clean energy transition.

It says the nuclear industry must push for and employ government funding to catalyse rapid private sector investment and the deployment of domestic low-enriched uranium and Haleu production capacity.

Haleu, or high-assay, low-enriched uranium, is an advanced nuclear fuel required for most of the next-generation reactor designs. Russia is the major Haleu supplier globally, and Chinese vendors are also capable of producing the material.

The report notes that fuel enrichment from Russia, once a significant contribution to the worldwide supply, is no longer a desired option for advanced reactors.