INDEX 26 Intelligence

INDEX 26 Intelligence

Why Next-Gen Nuclear Is Stuck Without Fuel

HALEU Supply Chain A cinematic macro visualization of advanced nuclear TRISO fuel glowing warmly in front of enrichment centrifuges.

High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) is a specialized nuclear fuel enriched to nearly 20% uranium-235, providing the intense energy density required by next-generation Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), but its global supply chain has historically been bottlenecked by a Russian monopoly that the West is now spending billions to break.