| Project Detail |
Securing Europe’s future in nuclear resources
High-assay low-enriched uranium metal (HALEU) is vital for research reactors and for making medical radioisotopes, which are used in about 40 million nuclear medicine procedures every year. The EU has relied on Russia and the US for HALEU, but with Russian supplies halted and US supplies uncertain, the EU needs its own production. With this in mind, the EU-funded PreP-HALEU project aims to build this capacity. It unites enrichment companies, fuel manufacturers, research organisations, and medical radioisotope producers to generate crucial technical, economic, and regulatory information. By updating HALEU requirements and addressing enrichment, metallisation, and transportation, PreP-HALEU will ensure the EU’s future in research, healthcare, and innovation.
High-assay low-enriched uranium metal (HALEU) is a critical resource required for the operation of research reactors and the production of pharmaceutical radioisotopes. Its availability is essential for advancing nuclear energy safety, materials science, basic scientific research, and the performance of about 40 million nuclear medicine procedures worldwide each year.
Until recently, EU has relied on Russia and the USA for its supply of HALEU. Russian supplies are expected to be unavailable for an extended period, and the future availability of US supplies remains uncertain: it is thus imperative for EU to establish its own HALEU production capacity.
The PreP-HALEU initiative represents a preparatory phase aimed at producing essential components and evaluating the technical pathways for establishing this capacity in EU. This project consortium brings together all key stakeholders, including enrichment companies, fuel manufacturers, research organizations, and medical radioisotope producers. Through this collaborative effort, PreP-HALEU intends to:
• Generate substantial technical, economic, and regulatory information to support the decision-making process.
• Foster alignment among the countries and parties involved in establishing a EU HALEU capability as a shared asset.
Within the framework of PreP-HALEU, the quantitative requirements for HALEU metal will be updated, and working groups will delve into enrichment, metallization, and transportation considerations. The integration of these elementary bricks will be extensively discussed to create a coherent project dynamic and consistently consolidate results into an executive summary, a key input for the decision-making phase.
The PreP-HALEU project, initiated in response to the NRT01-11 call for proposals, is a cornerstone in the establishment of a EU production capacity for metal HALEU. It plays a pivotal role in securing activities in the fields of research, healthcare, and innovation throughout EU. |
