Inevitable The Missing Piece Holding Back Advanced Nuclear with Standard Nuclear
Jan 6, 2026
Kurt Terrani, CEO of Standard Nuclear and an expert in nuclear fuels, dives deep into the often-overlooked world of TRISO fuel, essential for advanced reactors. He explains the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium processing to TRISO's unique resilience and economic impact on reactor safety and scalability. Discussing the transition from vertically integrated fuel strategies to flexible suppliers, Kurt shares insights from Standard Nuclear's journey post-Chapter 11 and stresses the importance of standardizing fuel specs to accelerate nuclear technology deployment.
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Fuel Is The Core Of Nuclear
- The essential 'nuclear' part of a plant is the fuel that fissions and generates heat.
- Standard Nuclear focuses on delivering that fuel because reactors cannot run without it.
Oak Ridge's Living Nuclear History
- Oak Ridge hosted major Manhattan Project facilities like K25 and X10 and led early enrichment and reactor work.
- Kurt locates Standard Nuclear there to continue that historical capability and talent pool.
Front End Steps And Skills
- The front end of the nuclear fuel cycle covers mining, conversion, enrichment, deconversion and fabrication.
- Fabrication is heavy on chemical engineering and materials work, not just nuclear engineering.