Progress Down-Blending Surplus Highly Enriched Uranium

Over the past decade, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Surplus U.S. Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) Disposition Program has eliminated 130 metric tons (MT) of surplus U.S. weapons-usable HEU by down-blending it to low-enriched uranium (LEU) for use in power and research reactors in the United States and abroad. Several major projects are complete or nearing completion to down-blend HEU for commercial power reactors. Several major down-blending projects have been used to eliminate the proliferation potential of the 130 MT of HEU. These projects include disposition through the U.S. Enrichment Corporation, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Reliable Fuel Supply, and the Mixed Oxide Backup LEU Inventory project. Additional HEU material is being down-blended for research reactors around the world. This paper will provide an overall program status on the major disposition projects, with a focus on projects currently underway or nearing completion. Also discussed are plans for future projects and the path forward.