Nuclear Fuel Security Act — via FY2024 NDAA §3131
Enacted law- Law
- P.L. 118-31, §3131
- Bill / vehicle
- S.452 (text folded into the NDAA)
- Status
- Enacted law
- Date
- Signed Dec. 22, 2023
- Administration
- Biden
- Topic
- Domestic HALEU/LEU supply; fuel security
- Sponsors
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D/I-WV) with Barrasso (R-WY), Risch (R-ID), Warner (D-VA), Coons (D-DE), Budd (R-NC); House companion by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH)
What it does
Directs DOE to build a domestic nuclear-fuel supply chain so the U.S. stops depending on Russia. It establishes a Nuclear Fuel Security Program, sets targets for making HALEU available (at least 10 metric tons by mid-2026, 20 MT by end of 2027), and expands the American Assured Fuel Supply. Crucially, it makes DOE act as a guaranteed first customer so private enrichers can finance new centrifuge plants.
Why it matters
Solved the 'chicken-and-egg' fuel problem: enrichers wouldn't build without buyers, and reactor developers couldn't commit without fuel. A common myth is that this passed via the ADVANCE Act — it didn't; it rode the FY2024 defense bill, a separate statute.
Primary sources
Learn the underlying ideas
New here? These concept explainers give you the background to understand what this law is actually doing.