Thorium Update 2022-04: Uranium-233 Downblending amid Scramble for Non-Russian HALEU

Legislators have begun asking questions as to why U233 (useful for a Thorium-MSR pilot SMR) CONTINUES to be downblended now that EVERY Advanced Reactor supported by DOE funding needs a non-Russian source of HALEU. (High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium.)U233 is an alternate fissile. While America's supply of U233 is only 450kg, it can seed a pilot SMR capable of creating more U233... an alternate supply of fissile for Advanced Reactors and Small Modular Reactors.Appearing in this video (in order of appearance):REP. JEFF DUNCAN (R-SC)SENATOR TOMMY TUBERVILLEWILLIAM WHITESENATOR JOE MANCHINDR. KATHRYN HUFFSEC. OF ENERGY GRANHOLMSENATOR ROBERT MARSHALLBOB OLSONOn top of DOE downblending U233, DOA has also opposed Th/U233 fuel cycle funding... as well as any other means of reducing our dependency of Russian HALEU before Russia invaded Ukraine.DOE GAIN program has excluded alternatives to HALEU dependency since 2020-12-02:U. S. Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office, U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0001817SECTION E. APPLICATIONS SPECIFICALLY NOT OF INTERESTExamples of the types of applications which will be deemed non-responsive to this FOA and will not be reviewed or considered (also see Section III of the FOA), include:• Applications involving reactor technologies primarily for the purpose of producing industrial or MEDICAL ISOTOPES, or other medical applications;• Applications that involve the development of URANIUM ENRICHMENT technologies or associated research and development;• Applications involving research, development, design, or licensing of FUSION ENERGY; and• Applications that involve the development or use of HEAVY-WATER MODERATED TECHNOLOGY.• Applications proposing a commercialization case within the next decade that is dependent ondevelopment of a large-scale domestic THORIUM FUEL cycle infrastructure....that has been further clarified...Question: In DOE-FOA-0001817, Revision 8, section I.E. "Applications Specifically Not of Interest", thorium related technology is called out in this category as "Applications proposing a commercialization case within the next decade that is dependent on development of a large-scale domestic thorium fuel cycle infrastructure." Can you clarify which thorium related technologies remain eligible for award?Answer: The objective of the Industry Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0001817) is to advance near-term concepts toward the marketplace, whether these are new reactors or supporting technologies that would enhance the existing or future fleet. Currently, there is no domestic fuel cycle infrastructure in place to support thorium-based concepts, and no clear evidence of near-term commercial market interest in establishing it, beyond the developers themselves. Therefore, within the current resources available for the FOA, DOE-NE is focusing on concepts that do not rely on development of a large-scale domestic thorium fuel cycle infrastructure. US developers of thorium-based technologies targeting the export market remain eligible for award. Excluding up front the technologies that are unlikely to be selected under this announcement saves the substantial resources that would be expended in preparing and reviewing applications seeking to advance these technologies.---In the context of today's scramble for HALEU, let's look again at those exclusions.- Medical Isotopes.- URANIUM ENRICHMENT- FUSION ENERGY- HEAVY-WATER MODERATED TECHNOLOGY- THORIUM FUEL CYCLEOf those exclusions, medical isotopes are the ONLY exclusion which could NOT have helped alleviate HALEU shortage. Uranium Enrichment... that's exactly what is/was needed. Specifically excluded!Fusion Energy, while probably having valid reasons for being out-of-scope, certainly would have alleviated dependency on Russian HALEU. (And there a many synergies between fusion and fission R&D.)CANDU are an example of heavy-water moderated reactors, which do not need ANY enriched uranium. They run on NATURAL URANIUM!Thorium Fuel Cycle, with its creation of fissile U233 from Thorium, is a way to alleviate dependency of Russian HALEU. Either with reactors which don't need HALEU, or by creating U233 for use in SMR and Advanced Reactors.