# Building a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2026-04-02
- Length: 38m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain

## Summary

Scott Nolan, CEO of General Matter, explains the five-step nuclear fuel supply chain, highlighting enrichment as the critical bottleneck where the US relies heavily on European and Russian sources. He details the distinction between Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) for existing reactors and High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) for advanced reactors, noting that domestic HALEU capacity is virtually non-existent. Nolan discusses General Matter’s strategy to build a new enrichment facility in Paducah, Kentucky, leveraging a Department of Energy award to address the 'chicken or egg' problem for advanced reactor deployment.

## Chapters

- [3:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=190) Introduction: Scott Nolan and General Matter
- [3:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=205) The 5-Step Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain
- [4:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=265) Conversion Bottlenecks and Solstice
- [9:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=551) Enrichment Process and LEU vs. HALEU
- [12:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=779) Geopolitics: Russian Enrichment and the 2028 Ban
- [20:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=1228) LEU vs. HALEU Requirements for Advanced Reactors
- [27:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=1675) The Chicken or Egg Problem for HALEU
- [30:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=1839) General Matter’s Paducah Facility and DOE Award
- [36:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain#t=2173) Future Bottlenecks: US Mining and Permitting

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- General Matter (company)
- Honeywell (company)
- Solstice Advanced Materials (company)
- Camco (company)
- Urenco (company)
- Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (other)
- Department of Energy (other)
- Founders Fund (company)
- Elemental Power (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [AM's Role in the Nuclear Industry with Westinghouse's Adam Travis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2024-07-09-ams-role-in-the-nuclear-industry-with-westinghouses-adam-travis) (Additive Snack)
- [DeepDive 1-on-1 Series: FUEL & PROTECTION - Securing the Supply Chain Before the Climb (31m22s)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/npi-sherpa/2026-03-03-deepdive-1-on-1-series-fuel-protection-securing-the-supply-chain-before-the-clim) (NPI Sherpa)
- [Submarines, Supply Chains, & Skilled Labor: Inside the Navy’s Advanced Manufacturing Push](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-07-10-submarines-supply-chains-skilled-labor-inside-the-navys-advanced-manufacturing-p) (Additive Snack)
- [Why Your Toughest Parts Still Use 50-Year-Old Materials w/ Fazal Mahmood](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-09-08-why-your-toughest-parts-still-use-50-year-old-materials-w-fazal-mahmood) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Creating the Future of Energy with Dr. Alaa Elwany](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2024-03-05-creating-the-future-of-energy-with-dr-alaa-elwany) (Additive Snack)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-04-02-building-a-domestic-nuclear-fuel-supply-chain. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.