As the U.S. prepares to cut off imports of uranium from Russia in 2028, the Department of Energy is expected to soon announce at least $900 million to boost uranium enrichment in the U.S. The funds could be announced by month's end, and is expected to go to multiple companies for the low-enriched uranium used in traditional reactors.
Expanding on a story we covered yesterday morning, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told Reuters yesterday that the administration expects most of the nation's coal plants to delay retirement to help deliver the electricity needed for AI. It's part of a broader strategy that also includes, as we just mentioned, boosting nuclear energy. Wright said the government had been in discussions with utilities across the country and expects most to delay any closure plans.
And the USGS announced yesterday it has awarded nearly $3 million in cooperative agreements to state geological surveys to study critical minerals in the materials left over from mining at active and legacy sites. The release highlights mine waste from former and active mines as "an accessible, aboveground source of critical minerals," noting that these agreements hold the potential to both access more domestic minerals while offsetting the cost of cleanup.
