Standard Nuclear Selected by ARPA-E to Develop TRISO Fuel from Recycled Transuranic Material

The project aims to provide an alternative fuel feedstock while reducing commercial spent fuel stockpiles.

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Approximately $7 million in funding under the HORNIG program supports particle fuel for high-temperature gas reactors made from recycled nuclear materials

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Standard Nuclear, Inc. (NYSE: STDN) ("Standard Nuclear" or the "Company"), a reactor-agnostic producer of TRISO nuclear fuel and the only U.S. company with industrial-scale TRISO fuel fabrication facilities, today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy's ("DOE") Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy ("ARPA-E") to receive approximately $7 million in funding under the High-performance Optimized Recycled Nuclear Isotopes for Gen IV reactors ("HORNIG") program.

The funding would be used for the Mixed Oxycarbide ("MCO") TRISO project, which aims to develop advanced reactor fuel using recycled transuranic and uranium feedstocks. Through this initiative, Standard Nuclear will engineer advanced fabrication methods to produce tristructural isotropic ("TRISO") particle fuel incorporating recycled transuranics, including plutonium. By establishing an alternative to high-assay low-enriched uranium ("HALEU"), this work aims to diversify the fissile feedstock supply chain for existing and next-generation reactors while actively reducing commercial spent fuel stockpiles. Standard Nuclear leads this project in partnership with SHINE Technologies, a fusion technology company.

“Recycled transuranic material still holds a great deal of usable energy, and TRISO is a fuel form well suited to harness it,” said Kurt Terrani, President and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Nuclear. “With ARPA-E's support, we will work to develop the scalable fabrication methods to turn this valuable feedstock into particle fuel, giving developers of advanced or existing reactors a domestic source of fuel made from recycled feedstock.”

ARPA-E selected eight projects to receive up to a combined $50 million through HORNIG to advance next-generation nuclear fuels. The selection builds on Standard Nuclear's work to convert transuranic and plutonium-bearing materials into fuel, including the Company’s June 2026 selection by the DOE to enter advanced negotiations in its Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program.

About Standard Nuclear

Standard Nuclear’s mission is to reliably deliver the essential building blocks of nuclear power at scale — enabling cost-effective, safe, and secure energy for the world. Standard Nuclear is focused on the large-scale production of advanced nuclear fuel and radioisotope power systems. It is the nation’s only independent manufacturer of TRISO fuel — a robust, high-performance fuel essential to advanced nuclear reactors for terrestrial, national security, and space applications. Standard Nuclear offers a reactor-agnostic supply of advanced fuels to the next-generation nuclear industry and delivers dependable radioisotope power solutions to the space and defense sectors. Through these efforts, it is helping to eliminate U.S. reliance on geopolitical adversaries for these strategically vital technologies. For more information, visit: https://www.standardnuclear.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements which are based on information available as of the date of this press release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties.

As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the actual results or performance of Standard Nuclear may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements which include risks relating to any change to government policy, laws, or requirements from one administration to another; risks relating to changes in federal, state, and local government policies and priorities; risks relating to safeguards and security requirements for special nuclear material that impose significant ongoing operational burdens and costs; risks related to the fact that we are an early stage company with limited operating history; risks related to our ability to maintain an effective nuclear-grade quality assurance program; risks related to the termination of the OTA due to shifts in governmental policy, priorities or oversight approach under the OTA; and risks related to disruptions or temporary shutdowns at any of our manufacturing facilities.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in this news release and in our filings with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the Risk Factors in our Registration Statement on Form S-1, in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in our other filings with the SEC that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261102287902/en/

Investors:
investors@standardnuclear.com

Media:
StandardNuclear@icrinc.com

Source: Standard Nuclear, Inc.

Key Terms

triso technical

Triso is a type of nuclear fuel made of tiny kernels of fissile material encased in multiple microscopic layers of ceramic and carbon, creating a miniature, tough containment system for radioactive material. For investors, triso matters because it enables reactors to run hotter and more efficiently with lower risk of fuel failure—think of it as an armored seed that helps new reactor designs be safer and more commercially attractive, affecting technology adoption, regulatory approval, and company valuations.

transuranic technical

Elements with atomic numbers higher than uranium (greater than 92) that are typically created in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators; many are unstable and radioactive. They matter to investors because they are central to industries like nuclear power, medical isotopes, and radioactive waste management — think of them as specialized, hard-to-get materials that can create both value (medical or energy uses) and long-term regulatory, safety, and cleanup costs for companies.

high-assay low-enriched uranium technical

High-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) is uranium processed to contain a higher percentage of the atom that sustains a nuclear chain reaction (U‑235) than standard reactor fuel but well below weapons-grade, typically about 5–20% U‑235. It matters to investors because HALEU is the preferred fuel for many advanced reactors and some medical isotope production, so its availability, production capacity, regulation and geopolitical risks can materially affect project timelines, supplier contracts and valuation of companies in the nuclear supply chain.