In a just-released presentation, the US Department of Energy has outlined gaps in physical protection regulations to protect “High Assay Low Enriched Uranium.” HALEU is being touted for fuel for fanciful “advanced reactors” and hyped up “small modular reactors.” HALEU at up to 20% enrichment is much closer to weapon-grade uranium and LEU fuel.
See DOE document of April 2021 on HALEU physical protection issues:
Domestic Safeguards and Security Challenges for HALEU
— linked here: https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1776530
— by Brookhaven National Lab, US DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Nonproliferation and
Verification Research and Development (NA-22)
Lacking physical protection plans for enriched materials, the Centrus High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium Demonstration Project now being considered for licensing by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, for 16 centrifuges at the DOE’s Portsmouth, Ohio site, may be allowed to produce small amounts of HALEU at HEU levels (20+% uranium-235). The HALEU production could also be used for HEU for the US Navy. In spite of having nuclear non-proliferation implications , both the NRC and DOE are staunchly refusing to conduct any form of nuclear nonproliferation assessment on this new technology – a stunning indictment of those departments casting nonproliferation concerns aside to bow at the alter of illusory “advanced reactors.”
See part of communication between the NRC and SRS Watch director Tom Clements about the Centrus project – lots of questions remain unanswered but the NRC pushes forward with preparing an Environmental Assessment in total secrecy and likely will issue a license for the Centrus project without any public input: https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML21088A327