The U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday that the country's first commercial reactor will use nuclear fuel enriched above 5%.
“Increased enrichment levels allow the fuel to function longer and operate at higher power levels, which could lead to additional reliable electricity generation at nuclear power plants across the country,” the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy said in a press release.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, commercial nuclear reactors typically use fuel enriched with 3% to 5% uranium-235, the main isotope responsible for producing energy through a chain reaction.
Fuel with higher levels of enrichment could extend nuclear cycles to 24 months, increase energy production and reduce waste during reactor operation. The enriched pellets are also expected to improve safety. They were made from uranium oxide powder produced at the Idaho National Laboratory.
The new fuel cells will be tested for at least the next four years, the DOE said. Much of the research was conducted at the Georgia Test Site.
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