Fuel management requires that mass, energy, and reactivity balance be satisfied in each reload cycle. Procedures for selection of alternatives, core-state models, and fuel cost calculations have been developed for both equilibrium and transition cycles. Effective cycle lengths and fuel cycle variables—namely, reload batch size, schedule of in-core residence for the fuel, feed enrichments, energy sharing cycle by cycle, and discharge burnup and isotopics—are the variables being considered for fuel management planning with a given energy generation plan, fuel design, recycling strategy, and financial assumptions.