Nuclear energy is having a major resurgence, but there is a snag in the system that most people don’t see. While we have plenty of reactors, the process of making the fuel has a major “chokepoint.” A new company called FluxPoint Energy officially launched this week at the CERAWeek conference to fix that.

Based out of Houston and McLean, Virginia, the company has plans to build the first U.S. uranium conversion facility in over 70 years.

Fixing the Uranium Speed Bump

This facility takes uranium oxide and turns it into uranium hexafluoride (UF6). This is a middle step that has to happen before the material can be used as fuel for power plants. Without this conversion, the whole process stalls out.

“Policymakers, utilities, and developers increasingly point to fuel availability as a limiting factor for America’s nuclear reactors—both present and future,” FluxPoint’s founder and CEO, Mike Chilton, said. “Uranium conversion has become an unacceptable chokepoint in a global supply chain still dominated by foreign providers.”

Moving from Plans to Production

Building a nuclear facility isn’t a quick or easy task, but the company says they aren’t starting from scratch. They have already picked out a site and finished their market and technical studies. Currently, they are working on the early engineering designs and talking with government officials about the rules and regulations they’ll need to follow.

The goal is to create a supply chain that stays entirely within the U.S. This would help current power plants and make it easier for new, advanced reactors to get up and running.

“America cannot lead in nuclear energy while relying on foreign-controlled fuel processing,” Chilton added. “FluxPoint was created to restore a critical piece of our nation’s energy infrastructure, ensuring that U.S. reactors have access to a secure, domestic fuel supply.”

“This is about energy security, economic strength, and global leadership,” Clifton concluded.