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Next-Gen Nuclear Startups Face Critical Fuel Shortages
Energy Minerals · Oil & Gas Production · yonhap_finance · 2026-09-02
Emerging nuclear power startups are struggling to secure plutonium, a vital fuel source, as strict regulations and supply chain constraints threaten their viability.
What Happened
Fuel Supply Crisis: Private startups developing next-generation nuclear reactors are facing significant hurdles in sourcing radioactive materials like plutonium. Because plutonium is not found in nature and is a byproduct of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, supply remains extremely tight.
Regulatory Hurdles: Due to its dual-use nature in nuclear weapons, plutonium has been subject to decades of strict international oversight. Industry analysts describe the scarcity of the material as comparable to diamonds, highlighting the immense difficulty private firms face in accessing it for civilian reactor projects.
Industry Impact: Approximately 120 nuclear startups are currently competing to secure fuel for their prototypes. With supply chain disruptions affecting HALEU—a fuel dominated by Russian production—many are looking toward MOX fuel, though the lack of reprocessing infrastructure remains a major bottleneck.
Survival Variable: Experts suggest that the ability to secure a stable fuel supply will be the deciding factor for which startups survive in the next-gen nuclear market. Long-term viability will depend heavily on increased investment in fuel infrastructure and expanded reprocessing capabilities.