In an industry first, Westinghouse Electric Company announced the insertion of Lead Test Assemblies with Low Enriched Uranium (LEU+) fuel at Unit 2 of Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, Georgia. This milestone represents the first commercialization of LEU+ fuel in the U.S. and was accomplished with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) Program and Southern Company subsidiary Southern Nuclear, the operator of Plant Vogtle.
LEU+ fuel, enriched above 5%, supports extended fuel cycles, power uprates, and lowers the costs of nuclear power plant operations by reducing the number of outages needed for refueling. This advanced fuel will be instrumental in ensuring the industry meets its goals to supply safe, efficient, reliable and affordable clean energy for its customers.
Westinghouse provided its EnCore® ATF Lead Test Assemblies with greater than 5 wt.% LEU+ ADOPT® fuel, chromium coated cladding and AXIOM® cladding. These fuel assemblies were manufactured for Vogtle Unit 2 at Westinghouse’s Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, South Carolina.
Key data points: The growth forecast = 5.4% annually for the next 7 years. Scroll below to get more insights. This market report covers trends, opportunities, and forecasts in the global nuclear decommissioning service market to 2031 by reactor type (pressurized water reactor (PWR), boiling water reactor (BWR), pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR), gas cooled reactor (GCR), and others), strategy (immediate dismantling, deferred dismantling, and entombment), and region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World)
Download free sample pages“We are proud to have achieved this milestone alongside the U.S Department of Energy and Southern Nuclear,” said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel President. “Our priority is to provide safe, reliable and high-performing fuel to support our customers in their long-term operational needs. LEU+ fuel is a perfect example of how we can help reduce the number of outages in nuclear power plants.”
Westinghouse is a leading supplier of nuclear fuel, providing a uniquely diversified portfolio in the industry across nuclear reactor types, including PWR, BWR, AGR and VVER. Through our world-class manufacturing facilities in the United States, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, we focus on delivering innovative fuel technologies to meet our customer needs for lower fuel cycle costs, increased operational flexibility and efficiency, diversity of supply and accident-tolerant products.
