As noted in a few recent Energy Blogs, the new Administration is shifting emphasis from the previous Administration’s focus on renewable (primarily solar and wind) energy generation to the more traditional generation technologies – primarily gas and nuclear.

In early August, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the next steps in the new Administration’s efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains for nuclear fuel. DOE reported that it has conditionally selected Standard Nuclear as the first U.S. company accepted into the recently announced “fuel line pilot program,” announced in July 2025. The initiative, issued in accordance with a presidential Executive Order (“Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactors for National Security”), helps to eliminate America’s reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials while opening the door for private sector investment in America’s nuclear renaissance.

According to U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, DOE is moving at a rapid pace to unleash innovation and maintain American leadership in nuclear energy development. “Advanced nuclear reactors will be a game-changer for the United States, and with that comes the need to fabricate the fuel for these reactors,” said Wright. The Department of Energy is partnering private sector innovation with DOE expertise to assure stronger U.S. nuclear supply lines.”

Standard Nuclear (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) is the first conditional selection under DOE’s new pilot program and will leverage DOE’s authorization process to ensure a robust supply of nuclear fuel in both Tennessee and Idaho.

“The advanced fuel is in high demand as reactor developers get ready to test their designs that utilize TRISO fuel,” said the DOE. (TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel, a type of nuclear fuel known for its exceptional robustness and ability to withstand extreme temperatures and radiation.)

Standard Nuclear will be responsible for all costs associated with the construction operation, and decommissioning of the facility. Reactor project developers will manage the sourcing of nuclear material feedstock for fuel fabrication, which could be acquired through DOE’s high-assay low-enriched uranium allocation program.

The fuel line pilot program supports DOE’s “new reactor pilot program” that aims to have at least three advanced reactor designs achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.

Both pilot programs directly support the president’s executive orders to reform nuclear reactor testing at the DOE and deploy nuclear reactor technologies for national security.