The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week that it would provide up to $48 million for a new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program that could substantially reduce the disposal impact of used nuclear fuel (UNF). The program, dubbed CURIE (Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy), is intended to support “a comprehensive national strategy to deal with waste safely and securely,” the DOE said, and could help stimulate the deployment of advanced nuclear reactor technology by providing “safe and sustainable domestic fuel stocks.”
