BLSK Energy to Produce Advanced Reactor Fuel

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May 18, 2026, 14:35 ET

NEW YORK, May 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BLSK Energy, LLC, today emerged from stealth mode following the signing of an agreement with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for BLSK Energy to lead the commercialization of a technology that produces fuel for advanced fast nuclear reactors by recycling the used fuel from existing nuclear power plants.

Formed in early 2025, BLSK Energy's founders have used their experience and relationships in nuclear power and finance to establish significant momentum toward placing a pilot recycling facility that will produce fuel for advanced, fast reactors into operation in 2034.

"The path ahead is ambitious but achievable," said Bruce Landrey, managing director and co-founder. "It also is absolutely necessary to address both the past and the future of the use of nuclear energy as a source of clean, safe electricity for our communities."

The U.S. has accumulated an estimated 95,000 tonnes of used nuclear fuel at more than 75 sites around the country. Plans for permanent disposal have been stalled for decades. Meanwhile, both the availability and the cost of the fuel for advanced reactors are becoming bottlenecks in their development.

"BLSK has the rare opportunity to address the two critical issues facing nuclear power; answering the question, 'what about the waste?' while delivering a reliable cost-effective supply of fuel for advanced reactors," said Landrey.

In addition, BLSK Energy has established an advisory board with initial members Dr. Fred Buckman, Sr., Marilyn Kray, John O'Connor and Tom Marcille. Buckman is an MIT PhD, former utility CEO and CNO, advisor to private equity, and has served on the boards of some 20 nuclear and utility related companies. He will chair the advisory board. Kray is a former executive with Constellation and worked on strategic issues related to the performance of the existing fleet as well as evaluation of the next generation of small modular reactors. In addition, she led the NuStart consortium, a national industry coalition responsible for advancing the licensing of the AP1000 under the NRC's Part 52 framework. O'Connor is the CEO of J.H. Whitney Investment Management, the former Chairman of JP Morgan Alternative Asset Management, a Senior Fellow at West Point, and received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Marcille is the former Chief Engineer, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and former VP Reactor Technology and CNO, Holtec, SMR.

Landrey helped launch NuScale Power and lead it through its early stages with responsibility for business development and strategy, and government affairs. He was an executive with the Tennessee Valley Authority and served as director of investor relations and chief of staff to the CEO of the owner of the Trojan Nuclear Plant. Directors and co-founders Murphy Poindexter and Ross Yehia Hubbard are veterans of numerous start-ups in technology and clean energy development.

The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) established between BLSK and ANL provides it with exclusive access to the intellectual property behind pyroprocessing, the technology it will use for recycling nuclear fuel, as well as access to ANL's established technical team of world class nuclear reprocessing scientists, engineers and laboratory facilities.

ANL's support under the CRADA will be led by Dr. Yoon Il Chang, Senior Nuclear Project Director and ANL Distinguished Fellow, who is recognized as the father of pyroprocessing technology. Dr. Chang detailed the potential for the combination of pyroprocessing and integral fast reactors to provide abundant clean energy in his book, Plentiful Energy, co-authored with his late colleague, Dr. Charles Till.

In addition, the CRADA grants BLSK Energy exclusive access to a mature reprocessing facility design specification developed over years of extensive work between ANL and Merrick & Company, a preeminent U.S nuclear architect-engineer.

"Having the IP and facility design as a starting point places our effort at a high level of maturity, improving certainty through reduced technical, regulatory, and investment risk," Landrey said.

Landrey said BLSK Energy will release additional information on its progress in the coming weeks.

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