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Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
Lisa Marshall
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 9 | September 2021 | Pages 1483-1490
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.1895408
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Energy plays an increasingly vital role in society where questions around technologies, economics, quality of life, and policies are debated. The link of nuclear energy with the social sciences allows for a fuller examination of human-environment decision making. This paper comes out of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) International Workshop on the Nuclear Social Science Nexus. The development and teaching of a Geographies of Energy course is provided as an example of a pedagogical method to understand the interconnectedness of science and social science. Students in the North Carolina State University China Study Abroad Program in Engineering, Science, Technology & Society (STS) and International Relations unpack the sociotechnical dimensions of resource extraction, energy production, consumption, and byproduct management. A complex network of resources, actors, implications, and outcomes arise, allowing for the study of place uniqueness as well as the connections and interactions between places—China, neighboring states, and international systems—and power technologies.