HALEU: The Uranium Fuel for Next-Gen Reactors—A Clean Energy Breakthrough or a Nuclear Weapons Risk?

​Introduction Preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons has been a major focus of international policy for over 70 years. However, a growing interest in high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), driven by billions of dollars in U.S. government funding, raises serious concerns about nuclear security. HALEU, enriched between 10% and 19.75% in uranium-235, is being hailed as …