RICHLAND — The United States Department of Energy is sending $8.8 million to Framatome U.S. Government Solutions to expand its nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Richmond, adding ceramic pellet production lines that will boost annual capacity by about 200 metric tons of uranium. The grant is one piece of a $94 million package announced May 14 to speed the deployment of advanced light-water small modular reactors across the country and arrives as the agency reports that multiple next-generation reactors are now on track to achieve criticality by July 4, the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“This funding is great news for Richland—it will help create jobs and grow the local economy across the Tri-Cities. During my visit last week, I met with the labor leaders that will make this project a reality and saw firsthand exactly where the materials we need for our clean energy future will be manufactured,” U.S. Senator Patty Murray, ranking member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, wrote in a statement on the award. “The Tri-Cities has long been a leader in nuclear energy supply chains, and I am proud to make sure that continues into the future, including by supporting funding just like this. It is simple: this project will advance our efforts to reduce emissions, protect the environment, and ensure the U.S. remains a global leader in energy technologies.”
The Richland site is Framatome’s nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in North America where uranium dioxide (UO2) powder, pellets, fuel rods and fuel assemblies are produced. This site also specializes in the design for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) including state-of-the-art testing and component manufacturing facilities. According to the company’s website, 5 percent of electricity produced in the United States comes from fuel manufactured at the Richland site.
The two updates, eight days apart, form complementary tracks in the DOE’s push to expand nuclear capacity under four executive orders signed by President Donald J Trump in May 2025. One track builds the factories and permits needed for commercial small modular reactors in the 2030s; whereas the other fast-tracks pilot projects for more advanced designs that could deliver power within months.
The May 14 awards fall under the Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor Pathway to Deployment Program. They aim to close gaps in licensing, supply chains and site preparation for reactors that use proven light-water technology and can be built in modules at factories before shipping to sites.
“President Trump has made clear that America is going to build more energy, not less, and nuclear is central to that mission,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “Advanced light-water SMRs will give our nation the reliable, round-the-clock power we need to fuel the President’s manufacturing boom, support data centers and AI growth, and reinforce a stronger, more secure electric grid. These awards ensure we can deploy these reactors as soon as possible.”
The largest share — $27.9 million — went to Nebraska Public Power District for an early site permit. Constellation SMR Development received $17.3 million for a similar permit in New York. BWXT Nuclear Energy got $21.4 million to equip a reactor-pressure-vessel assembly line in Mount Vernon, Ind. Smaller grants went to companies in Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Illinois for steel production, fuel-rod fabrication, forgings and large-component machining.
On May 22, the Energy Department shared that multiple next-generation reactors selected under the department’s separate Reactor Pilot Program, are now on track to achieve criticality — the point at which a sustained nuclear chain reaction begins — by July 4, 2026. The Reactor Pilot Program fast-tracks 11 advanced designs, including small modular, molten-salt and high-temperature gas reactors, outside national laboratories.
Criticality is the moment a nuclear reactor “turns on” and stays on to produce constant heat to boil water into steam to generate electricity. The atom splits in the chain reaction needs to become self-sustaining to produce constant heat to boil water into steam and generate electricity. Without reaching criticality, the reaction quickly dies out resulting in no heat to generate stream to produce power.
In Washington state, there was active debate in the 2026 legislative session over how nuclear energy fits into the state’s clean-energy goals.
Senate Bill 5821, pre-filed in December 2025 by Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, would have directed the state Department of Commerce to develop a nuclear power strategic framework. The framework would assess opportunities and barriers to siting, permitting and encouraging new advanced nuclear facilities, then fold those findings into the next update of the state energy strategy. Also, a companion measure, House Bill 2090, was introduced by Rep. Stephanie Barnard, R-Pasco, and House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-West Seattle. Both bills require no new state spending.
Both bills stalled in the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee
Proponents argued that a nuclear power strategic framework is essential as electricity demand climbs from data centers, population growth and clean-manufacturing expansion. They say advanced nuclear could provide the always-available baseload power needed to complement wind and solar without raising costs or threatening reliability. Opponents to the bills on the other hand, questioned whether nuclear aligns with the state’s long emphasis on conservation and non-fossil resources.
Author: Mario Lotmore
