Nusano's HALEU Platform Selected for NRIC Nuclear Energy Launch Pad USA Program

Direct metallization process to produce 5.9 metric tons of nuclear fuel per unit per year

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nusano, a physics company pioneering advances in radioisotope and nuclear fuel production, has been selected by the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop its direct metallization HALEU nuclear fuel production line, as part of the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Program, a federal initiative designed to accelerate innovative nuclear technologies from concept to commercial deployment.

Through Launch Pad, Nusano will gain access to DOE authorization processes, national laboratory expertise, infrastructure, technical resources, and project support intended to accelerate advanced nuclear technologies from development to deployment.

The Nusano HALEU production line uses metallic uranium feedstock instead of fluorinated uranium gas. The system is designed to produce HALEU in a single enrichment pass while reducing cost, enabling modular scalability, and eliminating hazardous fluorine chemistry. A Nusano HALEU unit requires just 1,200 square feet of operating space, allowing for additional units to be deployed incrementally as market demand grows. Nusano expects each unit will produce 5.9 metric tons (MT) of HALEU per year, with the first unit scheduled to be operational in 2031.

"Selection for Launch Pad signals Nusano's HALEU technology and team are ready to move forward," said Keith Titus, CEO of Nusano. "The review process considered each project's technical merit, operational readiness, and alignment with national strategic priorities. We're proud to be included and grateful for the opportunity to advance work to support America's energy independence."

Why HALEU Matters

HALEU, or high-assay low-enriched uranium, contains more uranium-235 than the fuel used in most reactors today while remaining below the threshold for highly enriched uranium. This makes HALEU useful for many small modular reactors, which can use it to produce more power from less fuel, run longer between refueling, and fit into smaller, more flexible designs.

Interest in SMRs is growing because they promise reliable, secure and affordable power in a more flexible and scalable format than traditional large nuclear plants. For many advanced designs, deployment depends on reliable access to HALEU fuel, making domestic fuel availability a critical factor in whether the market can scale.

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that domestic demand for HALEU could reach 50 MTU per year by 2035. Today, less than 1 MTU of HALEU is produced in the U.S. annually.

The Direct Metallization Difference

Currently, enriched uranium is primarily produced using gas centrifuges. This process spins uranium hexafluoride gas at high speed through connected centrifuges to increase the concentration of uranium-235.

Nusano's direct-metal feedstock pathway moves metallurgy earlier in the enrichment process and eliminates hazardous fluorine chemistry. The uranium feedstock is converted to metal before enrichment, then Nusano applies proprietary separation techniques to separate atoms by mass. For HALEU, the platform takes in uranium metal, enriches and separates uranium-235 from uranium-238, and outputs HALEU in metallic product form.

Benefits of direct metallization include:

• Simplicity – Eliminates the UF₆ conversion, deconversion, and metallization required in a gas centrifuge production process.
   
• Speed – Achieves full enrichment, from natural uranium to 19.75% enriched material, in a single-pass enrichment process.
   
• Efficiency – High feed-to-product ratio delivers high-volume HALEU production.

To learn more about Nusano's direct metallization HALEU platform, visit nusano.com/haleu.

About Nusano
Headquartered in West Valley City, Utah, Nusano is a privately held physics company working to stabilize supply chains, advance American national security by reducing dependency on foreign supply, and enable once-in-a-generation innovations in fields ranging from healthcare to nuclear energy. The company is commercializing platform technologies for radioisotope production, stable isotope enrichment, and advanced separation techniques. Together, these proprietary systems and methods are poised to supply the fight against cancer and help fuel America's nuclear renaissance. For more, visit nusano.com.

Contact:
Scott Larrivee, Nusano, (608) 345-6629, [email protected]

SOURCE Nusano