Orano and Framatome win tender for HALEU fuel in the United States
Framatome and Orano have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop HALEU deconversion capabilities, a form of medium-enriched uranium intended for advanced reactors. This ten-year contract, launched in November 2023, aims to strengthen U.S. energy independence alongside companies such as BWXT, Centrus, GE Hitachi, and Westinghouse.
On 8 October, Framatome and Orano announced that they had been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop HALEU deconversion capabilities in the United States. The two French fuel giants are among six companies awarded the “HALEU Deconversion Services RFP” issued by the DOE in November 2023. Alongside them are prominent U.S. nuclear groups: BWXT, Centrus, GE Hitachi, and Westinghouse.
What is Deconversion?
“Deconversion” is an upstream step in the fuel cycle that occurs after enrichment and before fuel fabrication. This process involves converting enriched uranium from its gaseous form, uranium hexafluoride (UF6), suitable for enrichment, into a form suitable for fuel fabrication, such as uranium dioxide (UO2) or metallic uranium.
While some fuel fabrication sites in the United States can currently deconvert low-enriched uranium (less than 5%), none are currently authorised to process HALEU, which is uranium enriched to between 10% and 20%. Higher enrichment levels require deconversion facilities that meet stricter safety and security standards (Category II), whereas facilities handling low-enriched uranium only need to meet Category III requirements.
290 tonnes of HALEU over 10 years
The companies awarded under the “HALEU Deconversion Services RFP” will each receive a ten-year contract valued at a minimum of $2 million in exchange for HALEU deconversion services. The DOE aims to achieve a production target of 290 tonnes over the entire period and may allocate up to $800 million in total to support the development of these services. Within the scope of the deconversion tender, companies will be responsible for transporting enriched UF6, converting it into a form yet to be defined, and storing it before fabrication.
This tender is part of a broader DOE-led initiative, the “HALEU Availability Program,” launched under the Energy Act of 2020. The goal of this programme is to establish a competitive and sovereign production of HALEU to ensure the United States can meet future fuel demands for advanced reactors. In line with this goal, a similar tender was issued for enrichment services, the “HALEU Enrichment Acquisition RFP,” for which the winners have yet to be announced.■