Federal Register #2026-07892

Review of Revised Voluntary Agreement for Domestic Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain Resilience

This notice announces the Department of Justice Antitrust Division's review of a revised voluntary agreement proposed by the Department of Energy (DOE) under the Defense Production Act, focused on the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain. - Government Buyer: - U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division - Department of Energy (DOE) - Purpose: - Establish a consortium of domestic nuclear energy companies - Implement plans to ensure capacity and resilience of the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain for current and future nuclear reactors - Supply Chain Phases Addressed: - Milling, conversion, enrichment, deconversion, fabrication, recycling and reprocessing, end users - Uranium Fuel Infrastructure Resilience Mechanism (UFIRM) - Organizational Structure: - Three Plans of Action committees: - Material Sufficiency (Mining & Milling, Conversion, Enrichment) - Market-Integrated Fuel Utilization (Fabrication & Deconversion, Recycling & Reprocessing, Reactors) - Human Mobilization (Workforce Development, Supply Chain, Economics & Finance) - Notable Requirements: - Agreement is designed to ensure reliable operation of nuclear reactors and strengthen domestic supply chain resilience - No specific OEMs, vendors, products, or purchase quantities are identified in this notice - Legal Context: - Attorney General, after FTC consultation, determined the agreement is necessary and not achievable through less anticompetitive means

Description

This notice announces the review of a revised voluntary agreement under the Defense Production Act of 1950 proposed by the Department of Energy (DOE). The agreement aims to establish a consortium and plans of action to ensure the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capacity for the reliable operation of existing and future nuclear reactors. The supply chain phases addressed include milling, conversion, enrichment, deconversion, fabrication, recycling and reprocessing, end users, and the Uranium Fuel Infrastructure Resilience Mechanism (UFIRM). The agreement consolidates these phases into three Plans of Action committees focusing on material sufficiency, market-integrated fuel utilization, and human mobilization. The Attorney General, after consultation with the Federal Trade Commission, has found that the purposes of the Act may not be achieved through less anticompetitive means, allowing the agreement to become effective.

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