Thread by @ClayDMontgomery

Dr. Kathryn Huff (@katyhuff), the DoE's Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy was just added (tentatively) to speak at the @NEI Nuclear Fuel Forum in DC on July 19. Seems like a good venue to make a big announcement on the DoE's new #nuclear fuel ...

nei.org/conferences/nu…

plan, which Dr. Huff has been leading for several months now.

I'm flabbergasted that this plan has received so little attention from most #energy analysts and Congress, considering months of hints from the DoE and leaks via Bloomberg about the size ($4.3 Billion) of the plan ...

and the recent failure of a Canadian ship to make a large delivery of nuclear fuel to US utilities, and their critical dependency on Russian imports for at least 40% of enriched nuclear fuel. The plan is at least 3 months late due to multiple delays that are likely to cause ...

some nuclear plants to sit idle in about 2 years as new fuel enrichment capacity is not likely to get built fast enough to avoid closures. The situation is so critical that @SecGranholm has admitted that the HALEU Availability Program (for SMRs) will be raided to make ...

critically needed LEU fuel for the existing US fleet. Screw the SMR projects the program was created for.

The only explanation offered for months of delay has been, "final inter-agency reviews", which is so laughably vague it invites comparison to the customary way the ...

DoE Secretary has responded to other serious crisis, by laughing and intimating it's not her responsibility.

The "agencies" she's referring to are the NNSA, DoD, TVA, the @NEI (Nuclear Utilities) and several nuclear fuel companies closely involved in the negotiations ...

including, @centrus_energy, #Silex/GLE, Cameco, Honeywell, Urenco, Orano and Tenex/Rosatom. Who's leading these complex negotiations involving so many companies, the US military, nuclear utilities and several foreign governments? That's Dr, Huff, a new hire with several ...

months on the job at the DoE. Previously, she was a professor of nuclear engineering at a college in Illinois, so she understands the physics. Hopefully, she's got some help with international contract law, force majeure indemnification, and turf battles over the ownership ...

of the critical retired HEU warhead material between the Pentagon and the DoE/NNSA.

world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/DOE-w…

If anyone attends this @NEI Nuclear Fuel Forum in DC on July 19, Please, Please, Please share what you learn here!

Every major US nuclear operator has registered to attend. Constellation and Duke (LOIs with GLE) sending 4 and 2. Few lawyers and not just "Fuel Buyer" titles. Many more like, "Nuclear Fuel Procurement Consulting Eng." and "Strategic Advisors" and "Fuel Eng. Lead". Senior staff.