Idaho National Laboratory is electrochemically treating about 3 tonnes of used HEU driver fuel from the shut-down EBR-II reactor and downblending the recovered uranium into HALEU. INL expects just under 10 tonnes of HALEU when treatment finishes at the end of 2028, about half of it allocated to Oklo's Aurora powerhouse.
New to HALEU and enrichment? HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need · The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained
Current state
| Status | Program active |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho |
| Operator | Idaho National Laboratory (Battelle Energy Alliance for DOE) |
| Ownership | DOE Office of Nuclear Energy-funded. |
| Facility type | Downblending |
| Technology | Downblending |
| Products | HALEU |
| Target year | 2028 |
| HALEU output (kg) | 10,000 |
| HALEU output basis | Cumulative |
| License | DOE-regulated (not NRC). |
| Government support | Funded by DOE Office of Nuclear Energy; part of DOE HALEU supply for the HALEU Availability Program. |
| Offtake | About 5 t allocated to Oklo for the Aurora powerhouse at INL; material suits fast reactors and needs extra processing for thermal/LWR use. INL transferred ~6 kg HALEU to BWXT (2023) for TRISO development. |
Notes
haleu output is the expected total (~10 t, 'just under 10 metric tons') once EBR-II driver fuel treatment completes by end-2028, not delivered output. No cumulative delivered figure published. A new glovebox line for HALEU oxide is planned from 2028 at hundreds of kg/yr.
Timeline
- 2019 — INL demonstrated a polishing process converting 3 kg of recovered HALEU from metal to oxide. (source)
- 2023 — INL transferred about 6 kg of HALEU to BWXT for TRISO fuel development. (source)
- 2025-10 — INL reported EBR-II driver fuel treatment running around the clock four days a week, with completion scheduled by end-2028. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
NNN coverage
About Idaho National Laboratory
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Related facilities
- BWXT DUECE Pilot Plant (Erwin) Planned · United States
- Centrus American Centrifuge Plant (Piketon HALEU cascade and expansion) Expanding · United States
- DOE HALEU Availability Program and HALEU allocations Program active · United States
- DOE HALEU Deconversion Services contracts Program active · United States
- DOE LEU and HALEU Enrichment Acquisition Program (task orders) Program active · United States
- General Matter Paducah Enrichment Facility Licensing · United States
- Global Laser Enrichment Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) Licensing · United States
- LIS Technologies laser enrichment plant (Oak Ridge) Planned · United States
See all 29 facilities in the Uranium Enrichment & HALEU Tracker →
Sources
- Leading the charge: INL's role in advancing HALEU production — American Nuclear Society, checked 2026-10-11
- HALEU Availability Program — US Department of Energy (primary), checked 2026-10-11