Sandia National Labs selected to help develop next-gen nuclear reactors

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Department of Energy is giving Sandia National Laboratories $3.38 million to develop analytical tools that could advance the production and deployment of nuclear fuels for next-generation reactors.

The Department of Energy announced the selection Friday during a news conference at Albuquerque’s National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

“Sandia National Laboratories has a long history of solving some of our nation’s toughest technical challenges, and its expertise will be essential to advancing America’s nuclear renaissance,” said National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Brandon Williams.

“This investment will build on Sandia’s capabilities to help fuel developers overcome the barriers to commercial-scale manufacturing and turn promising nuclear fuel technologies into practical solutions.”

Sandia’s project is called Transuranic Reactor-fuel Pathways for Sociotechnical Analysis, Technoeconomics, and Harmonization, or TRU-PATH.

The lab said TRU-PATH will develop an analytical platform to evaluate safety, nuclear safeguards and other issues tied to scaling up production of advanced reactor fuels.

“This project is purpose-driven to look at what brings the nation the safest and most secure energy solutions,” said Sandia Deputy Laboratories Director for Integrated Security Missions Deborah Frincke. “Sandia’s role focuses on designing a safety and security framework for recycling transuranic fuel and leverages our long history of nuclear research.”

Sandia said its work under TRU-PATH will focus on the broader questions tied to moving emerging fuel technologies toward practical use and will support wider DOE efforts to strengthen domestic nuclear fuel capabilities.

The news comes after the Pentagon announced plans to make sure American military bases can generate their own power with microgrids and a small nuclear reactor.

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