In the age of the nuclear renaissance, several countries are strategising to significantly increase their nuclear energy capacity over the coming decades, as part of efforts to diversify their energy mix and boost long-term energy security. However, securing fuel to power operations has been complicated, particularly following the introduction of sanctions on Russian energy products. Now, alternative uranium fuels offer promise for the nuclear energy industry.Nuclear fission, used in all existing nuclear power plants, is the process in which an atom's nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei and other particles. Fission can release large amounts of heat and radiation. Today’s nuclear power plants use this heat to boil water and drive steam turbines to make electricity. Operators typically use uranium fuel, enriched to up to 5 percent uranium-235 (U-235), to power nuclear reactors. Scientists worldwide are also striving to achieve and commercialise nuclear fusion, which could produce more abundant clean power.Operators will increasingly need to use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which is enriched to more than 5 percent and less than 20 percent, to power the advanced nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) being developed today. However, HALEU is not widely commercially available at present, with only Russia and China currently producing the fuel at scale.Following the United States ban on Russian uranium imports in 2024, the U.S. government has focused efforts on developing its domestic HALEU production capacity. As such, Centrus Energy produced over 920 kg of HALEU from a demonstration cascade at Piketon, Ohio, between October 2023 and mid-2025.In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) earmarked $2.7 billion to expand domestic uranium enrichment capacity over the next decade. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the government announced in January 2024 that it would allocate £300 million to support HALEU production.More operators are using TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic particle) fuel in SMRs, which is derived from HALEU. It is safer and more efficient than conventional enriched uranium, and the same amount of fuel can be concentrated in a smaller package, while more U-235 can be consumed before the smaller fuel pellets are depleted.Each TRISO particle is covered with three layers of specialised ceramics and other materials to trap gases and provide the particle with high heat tolerance, thereby preventing the TRISO fuel from melting. In addition, TRISO fuel reactors use either helium or molten salt as a thermal transfer fluid rather than water, which is less reactive or has a higher boiling point. Each TRISO pellet functions as its own tiny containment vessel, meaning there is no need to construct massive facilities to contain meltdowns. While TRISO is more expensive than conventional nuclear fuels, it can power lighter, less expensive reactors.However, accessing HALEU and TRISO at scale remains a challenge, as the China National Nuclear Corporation is the only commercial-scale producer of TRISO fuels, and Russia’s TENEX is the only commercial-scale supplier of HALEU. This has driven several companies in the United States and across Europe to explore alternative fuels to power SMRs, to shift reliance away from Russia and China. Companies such as GE Hitachi, Westinghouse, and Aalo Atomics have opted for Low Enriched Uranium Plus (LEU+) rather than HALEU to power operations, as it can be purchased from existing U.S. facilities. Holtec’s SMR-300 has been developed to be powered by either conventional LEU or LEU+, which has a U-235 concentration of between 5 and 10 percent.The Chief Technology Officer at Aalo Atomics, Yasir Arafat, explained why Aalo had chosen LEU+ as its primary fuel. Arafat stated, “We know we want to get to market fast, and we know we need to scale up to build hundreds of reactors, and we can't do that with HALEU for many years, because the U.S. is still pumping money into that HALEU machine, trying to figure out how to crack the code.” He believes that SMRs powered by LEU+ will advance faster than those powered by HALEU, as “We actually have a company that’s starting to make LEU+ here in the U.S.”Urenco USA was given authorisation by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to produce LEU+ at its Eunice, New Mexico, facility last September, and has since been producing small quantities of the fuel. The firm expects to achieve commercial production by mid-2026.Aalo signed a supply chain agreement with Urenco for the fuel it requires to power its Aalo-X experimental reactor, which is currently being developed as part of the DoE’s Reactor Pilot Programme. It expects to launch a commercial reactor, the Aalo Pod, powered by LEU+ by 2029.While several companies continue to rely on Russia for their uranium supplies, some countries are looking to develop a domestic HALEU production capacity, while many companies are exploring the potential of using alternative, more easily accessible uranium fuels to power operations.By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.comMore Top Reads From Oilprice.comChina’s Teapot Refineries Cut Operations to Their Lowest Level Since 2017Adani Targets 10 GW Nuclear Power Capacity in India by 2035VLCC Earnings Near $470,000 a Day as Hormuz Hopes Drive Tanker Frenzy