The U.S. Department of Energy is simultaneously advancing two high-profile projects that could reshape domestic power generation and raw material supply. One effort centers on a multibillion-dollar loan aimed at expanding the output of existing nuclear reactors, while the other concerns a draft licence that would revive a dormant uranium-processing facility in Utah. Both initiatives reflect a broader strategy to strengthen the nation’s energy independence and to revive a supply chain that has contracted in recent years.
DOE backs Constellation Energy with up to $5 billion for reactor upgrades
The Office of Energy Dominance Financing announced a conditional loan commitment that could reach as high as US$5 billion. The financing is earmarked for uprates and modernization at eight of Constellation Energy’s operating nuclear plants located in Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania. The facilities slated for improvement include Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle and Quad Cities in Illinois, Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, and Limerick in Pennsylvania. Under the terms, Constellation must satisfy a suite of technical, legal, environmental and financial requirements before the Department signs definitive documents and releases the funds.
This loan program is a direct implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order to revitalize the nation’s nuclear industrial base, which calls for the Department of Energy to facilitate a total of 5 gigawatts of capacity upgrades at existing reactors. The agency’s Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort, launched in March, reports that 95 percent of this 5-gigawatt target has already been identified. Energy Secretary Chris Wright emphasized the strategic importance, stating, “The Energy Department is accelerating President Trump’s American nuclear renaissance and unlocking the full potential of our nation’s nuclear fleet.”
Anfield Energy moves toward renewed license for Utah’s Shootaring Canyon mill
Further up the fuel-supply chain, Anfield Energy received draft versions of two critical permits on October 21: a renewed radioactive-materials licence and a groundwater-discharge permit for its Shootaring Canyon mill in Garfield County, Utah. The mill is one of only three conventional uranium processing plants in the United States that have ever been licensed, permitted and built. The draft licence caps production at 1,500 tons (approximately 3 million pounds) of yellowcake per year and requires the company to maintain a financial surety and a valid groundwater permit at all times. Although these terms are still subject to change, they form the baseline for the final decision.
Anfield anticipates that the draft documents will be placed for public notice by the end of 2026, followed by a 45-day comment period slated for late 2026 or early 2027. If the renewed licence is granted, the company plans to commence a major refurbishment campaign in the second quarter of 2027, targeting a throughput of 1,000 tons per day and the installation of a new vanadium circuit. Chief Executive Officer Corey Dias summed up the company’s ambition: “Our goal remains to restore domestic conventional uranium and vanadium milling capacity in the United States.”
Both projects underscore a renewed federal focus on bolstering the United States’ energy infrastructure. While the nuclear loan seeks to extract additional megawatts from established reactors, the Utah mill renewal aims to re-establish a domestic source of uranium and vanadium, essential inputs for both power generation and emerging technologies. Together, they illustrate a coordinated effort to secure a stable, home-grown supply of clean energy and critical minerals.
