Let's talk about nuclear fuel-specifically, high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, which will be needed for many of the advanced reactors currently under development by more than 20 companies in the United States. Most of these reactors will be smaller and cheaper to build than the current fleet and will run on fuel that isn't yet commercially available on a large scale. HALEU fuel is enriched to between 5 percent and 19.75 percent and, according to ANS member Sven Bader, a technical consultant for Orano USA, is required to enable most U.S. advanced reactor designs to be smaller and produce more power per unit volume. Bader noted that HALEU also allows developers to design systems that have longer core life, increased efficiencies, and better fuel utilization. "The reason that a lot of advanced reactors are smaller in size is because they can produce a lot more heat with HALEU than with low-enriched uranium," he said. "If you use LEU, you have to have a bigger reactor core."
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