[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75048-75049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26577]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Establishment: High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) 
Consortium

AGENCY: Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of establishment.

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SUMMARY: Through this Notice, the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE or the Department), announces the 
establishment of the High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) 
consortium pursuant to the Energy Act of 2020. This Notice outlines the 
Department's process for eligible entities to request membership in the 
consortium.

DATES: The HALEU consortium is established on December 7, 2022.

ADDRESSES: All entities interested in becoming a consortium member must 
submit by email at [email protected] their request for 
membership. Submit electronic comments in Microsoft Word or PDF file 
format and avoid the use of special characters or any form of 
encryption. Please include ``Membership in HALEU Consortium'' in the 
subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be sent to: Mark Angil, Email: 
[email protected]; Telephone: (301) 903-3962.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Section 2001(a)(1) of the Energy Act of 2020 (42 U.S.C. 
16281(a)(1)) directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to ``establish 
and carry out, through the Office of Nuclear Energy, a program to 
support the availability of HA-LEU for civilian domestic research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial use [the Program].'' Section 
2001(a)(2)(F) (42 U.S.C. 16281(a)(2)(F)) requires the Secretary to 
``establish, and from time to time update, a consortium, which may 
include entities involved in any stage of the nuclear fuel cycle, to 
partner with the Department to support the availability of HA-LEU for 
civilian domestic demonstration and commercial use.'' NE has created an 
associated website for this consortium: https://www.energy.gov/ne/us-department-energy-haleu-consortium.
    The consortium will provide a forum through which the Department 
can work with individual members to support the availability of HALEU 
for civilian domestic demonstration and commercial use. The Department 
may use the consortium to collect data from individual members, 
exchange views with individual members on how best to ensure the 
availability of HALEU in the short term and long term, and develop 
arrangements to provide HALEU to individual members for demonstration 
projects and commercial uses. In this regard, the Department intends to 
undertake biennial surveys to estimate the quantity of HALEU necessary 
for domestic commercial use for each of the 5 years subsequent to a 
survey. In addition, the Department may work with individual members of 
the consortium to develop a schedule for cost recovery of HALEU made 
available to individual members of the consortium for commercial use.
    The Department expects the members of the HALEU consortium to play 
a pivotal role in the deployment and commercialization of advanced 
nuclear reactors and related infrastructure. They will also help secure 
a critical domestic supply of HALEU to support meeting the 
Administration's climate, economic, and energy security goals.

II. Process for Applying for Membership

    The HALEU consortium may include entities involved in any stage of 
the nuclear fuel cycle. DOE interprets this to mean that any entity 
that contributes to the production, distribution, or utilization of 
HALEU is eligible to join the consortium. Any such U.S. entities that 
are interested in partnering with DOE to support the availability of 
HALEU for civilian domestic demonstration and commercial use are 
encouraged to apply for membership in the consortium. At its 
discretion, DOE may also accept requests for membership in the 
consortium from entities whose facilities are located in ally or 
partner nations. Entities interested in becoming a member of the 
consortium are invited to file a request for membership by email at the 
following address: [email protected]. This request 
should explain the entity's involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle and 
the entity's interest in partnering with DOE. It should also provide 
contact information for the entity's representative(s), including name, 
affiliation, email, and phone number.
    NE will coordinate HALEU consortium membership and consortium 
activities consistent with its purposes and objectives. Upon receipt of 
a request and confirmation that the requestor is an entity engaged in 
the nuclear fuel cycle and eligible for membership, NE will notify the 
entity that it is a member of the consortium and list the entity as a 
member of the consortium on the NE website.
    If a member of the consortium wishes to resign its membership, the 
member should notify NE by email at [email protected]. 
Resignation from the consortium shall become effective immediately upon 
receipt by NE of notice of the entity's wish to resign.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on November 
29, 2022, by Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, 
Office of Nuclear Energy, pursuant to delegated

[[Page 75049]]

authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with the original 
signature and date is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes 
only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal 
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been 
authorized to sign and submit the document in electronic format for 
publication, as an official document of the Department of Energy. This 
administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this 
document upon publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on December 2, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-26577 Filed 12-6-22; 8:45 am]
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