Nuclear Fuel: Actions Needed to Enhance Cost Reporting and Economic Analysis for Federal Uranium Supply Efforts

The GAO finds that the National Nuclear Security Administration has enough enriched uranium stockpiled to cover national security needs into the 2040s, while pursuing three long-term enrichment efforts projected to cost roughly $140 billion through 2105. NNSA has not reported those costs in the biennial report Congress requires, because the agency says the estimates are new.

On the civilian side, the Department of Energy has handed out $900 million to one company for low-enriched uranium expansion and $1.8 billion across two companies for advanced-reactor fuel capacity, without documenting an analysis of whether that spending is actually sufficient to grow domestic production. Demand estimates for the advanced-reactor fuel remain shaky, and supply may fall short in the near term regardless.

GAO is making five recommendations, including that NNSA finally report its long-term costs and that DOE produce the missing economic analysis. Both agencies say they plan to respond to the recommendations, which is not the same as having done so.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.