A Decisive Step Toward Solving America's Nuclear Waste Problem Once and For All

Curio®, a leader in advanced nuclear recycling technologies, applauds the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) announcement that it has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with five states – Louisiana, Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Idaho – under its Nuclear Innovation Campus initiative.

This is an important milestone toward rebuilding America’s nuclear fuel cycle, accelerating the commercialization of next-generation nuclear technologies and, for the first time in decades, putting the nation on a genuine path to solving its nuclear waste problem once and for all.

The initiative reflects a forward-looking partnership between the federal government, states, national laboratories, universities, industry, and utilities to establish regional centers for nuclear innovation. These campuses have the potential to accelerate advanced reactor deployment, strengthen domestic manufacturing, expand the nuclear workforce, and advance the recycling technologies that can finally end America's nuclear waste stalemate.

The United States currently stores more than 95,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel (UNF) at sites across the country – the legacy of more than 50 years without a permanent solution. Advances in recycling technologies now present an opportunity to turn that liability into an asset, recovering valuable materials from the existing inventory, creating a domestic source of strategic nuclear materials for future reactors, and dramatically reducing the volume of residual material requiring permanent disposal. By encouraging collaboration among public and private partners, the Nuclear Innovation Campus initiative provides the framework for moving these technologies from research and development into commercial deployment, and moving the nation from managing waste to eliminating the problem.

“For more than half a century, the United States viewed used nuclear fuel primarily as a waste management challenge, allowing fuel to accumulate at sites across the country while a permanent solution remained out of reach,” said Ed McGinnis, Chief Executive Officer of Curio. “Today, we have the opportunity to recognize UNF as a strategic national resource that not only solves the problem but produces valuable fuel and resources this country desperately needs.”

Recycling UNF can recover valuable materials that strengthen America’s energy security, support the next generation of advanced reactors, reduce reliance on foreign sources of strategic nuclear materials, and dramatically reduce the volume of material requiring permanent disposal.

DOE’s Nuclear Innovation Campus initiative is a critical step toward building the partnerships and infrastructure needed to realize that future. Curio commends DOE Secretary Chris Wright and Assistant Secretary Ted Garrish for their leadership in executing on the vision of President Trump and recognizes the significant work ahead in the initiative's next phases, from siting and licensing to infrastructure development and workforce training. Curio looks forward to working with DOE and the states to carry that work forward.

Nuclear Innovation Campuses have the potential to become integrated centers for research, engineering, advanced manufacturing, workforce development, licensing, and commercial deployment. By bringing together public and private stakeholders, these campuses can accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies, attract private investment, create high-quality American jobs, strengthen regional economies, and help restore U.S. leadership across the nuclear fuel cycle. For the states that host them, the campuses represent something more: the chance to host not a waste problem, but a solution to usher in the second nuclear era.

Curio also recognizes the leadership demonstrated by Louisiana, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma and Idaho, along with the many states that participated in DOE’s request for information process. The strong national interest in hosting Nuclear Innovation Campuses reflects the growing recognition that advanced nuclear technologies—and particularly the recycling of UNF—represent not only an energy solution, but also a significant opportunity for economic development, technological leadership, and long-term national security.

As a leader in advanced nuclear fuel recycling, Curio is working with federal agencies, national laboratories, universities, industry partners, and state governments to commercialize technologies that recycle UNF into valuable products while reducing residual waste volumes by up to 97%. The company believes initiatives like the Nuclear Innovation Campus program will accelerate deployment of the infrastructure needed to support America’s next generation of nuclear energy and establish a more secure, resilient, and sustainable domestic fuel cycle; one that resolves the waste challenge permanently rather than passing it to future generations.

“We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with doe, state governments, industry, and research institutions through all phases of this profoundly important initiative,” McGinnis added. "The states and their respective communities stepping forward to host these campuses will be in a uniquely historic position to unlock the full potential of nuclear energy and realize generational high-paying jobs with broad economic benefits while finally solving the so-called nuclear waste problem once and for all.”

About Curio

Curio (https://www.curio.energy/) stands at the forefront of nuclear technology innovation, driving breakthroughs in sustainable nuclear power generation, fuel recycling, and waste management to usher in the 2nd Nuclear Era®. Committed to pioneering new solutions that reshape the future of nuclear energy, Curio is fostering partnerships and innovations that will redefine the industry for generations to come. Curio has achieved lab-scale validation across four DOE national labs, secured millions in competitive federal grants, and partnered with Utilities Service Alliance (USA) for collaboration and supplier-partner agreement options for its 18 operating U.S. member reactors. Curio was recently recognized by Fast Company Magazine, which named NuCycle as a winner of the 2026 World Changing Ideas Awards.

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For more than half a century, the U.S. viewed used nuclear fuel as a waste management challenge. Today, we recognize it as a strategic national resource that both solves the problem and produces valuable fuel and resources this country desperately needs