The world’s next-generation nuclear plants depend on new technologies that are revolutionising the way reactors operate and the fuel that goes inside them. Haleu – or high-assay low-enriched uranium – is emerging into the spotlight of the US’s nuclear revival.

Earlier this year, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced its first wave of conditional Haleu allocations. In August it followed up with a second round of commitments to three more US companies. With each announcement, the message has grown clearer: Haleu is now a strategic linchpin for advanced reactors, microreactors and small modular reactors (SMRs).