In the U.S. there is about 95,000 ton of used nuclear fuel sitting around at more than 75 sites. Even worse, there plans to store it permanently have stalled for decades. At the same time, companies trying to build new, advanced reactors are struggling to find inexpensive fuel.

A new company called BLSK Energy wants to ambitiously tackle both problems at once. The startup recently signed a major deal with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to take used fuel from current nuclear plants and recycle it into fresh fuel for advanced fast reactors.

Recycled Nuclear Fuel By 2034

BLSK Energy started in early 2025, and the founders are using their background in nuclear energy and finance to quickly solve the issue. For example, the company wants to have a pilot recycling facility up and running by 2034.

“The path ahead is ambitious but achievable,” said Bruce Landrey, managing director and co-founder. “It also is absolutely necessary to address both the past and the future of the use of nuclear energy as a source of clean, safe electricity for our communities.”

Through their new agreement with ANL, BLSK gets exclusive access to the technology needed for this recycling process, which is called pyroprocessing. They also get to work directly with ANL’s team of scientists and engineers, led by Dr. Yoon Il Chang, who is known as the father of pyroprocessing technology.

Cutting Down the Risk

Recycling nuclear waste sounds complicated, but BLSK is starting with a big advantage. The deal gives them exclusive access to an existing facility design that ANL developed over years of work with Merrick & Company, a nuclear architect-engineering firm.

“Having the IP and facility design as a starting point places our effort at a high level of maturity, improving certainty through reduced technical, regulatory, and investment risk,” Landrey said.

To help guide the project, the company put together an advisory board packed with industry veterans. The board includes Dr. Fred Buckman, Sr., a former utility CEO who will chair the board, along with former nuclear executives Marilyn Kray, John O’Connor, and Tom Marcille. Landrey himself helps bring experience to the table, having previously helped launch NuScale Power.

“BLSK has the rare opportunity to address the two critical issues facing nuclear power; answering the question, ‘what about the waste?’ while delivering a reliable cost-effective supply of fuel for advanced reactors,” said Landrey.