Reps. Jim Langevin (D-Rhode Island) and Rick Larsen (D-Washington) have called on the Energy Department to accelerate a research program that seeks to determine if some U.S. Navy vessels could convert from bomb-grade to low-enriched uranium, Reuters reported Saturday.
Both House Armed Services Committee members said they believe converting the Navy’s carriers and submarines would prevent the potential loss of highly enriched uranium to militant adversaries.
Congress authorized a $5 million budget last year for DOE’s office of naval reactors to examine the capacity of current naval reactors to transition to LEU fuel.
The report said BWXT Technologies‘ nuclear operations group currently produces components for the Navy’s nuclear reactors.