Deep Fission signed an agreement with Urenco USA this week to receive low-enriched uranium (LEU) for fuel for its underground small modular reactor (SMR).
The Berkeley, Calif.-based SMR developer said the fuel will be used to support its pilot Gravity reactor, under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) pilot reactor program, and initial commercial deployments, according to its Wednesday press release.
LEU will be sourced from Urenco USA’s uranium enrichment plant based in New Mexico. Urenco USA, an affiliate of the European Urenco Group, has been making large investments into its enrichment plant over the past year.
In December 2025, Urenco USA completed its first production of LEU-plus and installed its third cascade of centrifuges for the advanced fuel at the National Enrichment Facility. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) authorized the company to produce LEU-plus in late September 2025.
“Urenco is pleased to support innovative nuclear companies like Deep Fission,” Urenco USA Managing Director John Kirkpatrick said. “Advanced reactor developers are an important part of the future energy landscape, and we are focused on ensuring a reliable domestic supply of enriched uranium to support growth in this sector.”
Deep Fission’s Elizabeth Muller said the partnership with Urenco USA will help secure fuel for its reactors and put Deep Fission on a faster path to commercialization.
Deep Fission is currently in the process of developing its Gravity reactor. The company’s reactor technology is a pressurized water SMR that will generate 15 megawatts. With a small footprint and dense power output, 10 of its reactors could produce 150 megawatts, while 100 reactors could deliver 1.5 gigawatts or 1,500 megawatts at one site, Deep Fission said.
Being one of the 10 companies selected under DOE’s reactor pilot program, Deep Fission has already broken ground for its pilot Gravity reactor at Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, Kan. Following achieving criticality at the location, the company and the Great Plains Development Authority have signed a letter of intent to develop a full-scale commercial project at the same site.