Nuclear REFUEL Act of 2025

The Nuclear REFUEL Act of 2025 amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to narrow the definition of a “production facility.” Specifically, it excludes from that definition certain equipment or devices that reprocess spent nuclear fuel if the process does not separate plutonium from other transuranic elements. In practical terms, this means some reprocessing technology could fall outside the NRC licensing framework that applies to “production facilities,” potentially allowing a different (likely less burdensome) licensing pathway for those technologies. The bill is titled the Nuclear Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing Act of 2025 (Nuclear REFUEL Act) and was introduced in the Senate on June 12, 2025 by Senators Husted and Whitehouse. In short, the bill seeks to promote recycling of nuclear fuel by expediting licensing for certain reprocessing activities, while still preserving existing rules for activities that do separate plutonium or otherwise remain within the current definition of a production facility.