Defense Production Act Consortium

Background

Background: On May 23, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14302, Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base, and directs the Secretary of Energy to seek voluntary agreements pursuant to section 708 of the Defense Production Act (DPA). The United States currently lacks the sufficient domestic nuclear fuel resources to meet projected demand and requires swift and decisive action to secure the nation’s economic and national security interests. 

Program Overview

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy is establishing the Defense Production Act Consortium and will seek voluntary agreements with U.S. companies. The voluntary agreements allow industry consultation to develop plans of action to ensure that the nuclear fuel supply chain capacity for mining and milling, conversion, enrichment, deconversion, fabrication, recycling and reprocessing is available to enable the continued reliable operation of the nation’s reactors. 

Current Opportunities

  • DOE issued an interim final rule that will be published in the Federal Register and is seeking public comment on the standards and procedures that the Department will use to execute the voluntary agreements under DPA section 708, which provides a defense from antitrust laws when certain criteria are met. 

    Public comments must be submitted by September 24, 2025.  

    Read the Federal Register Notice 

  • DOE is seeking members to join the DPA Consortium.  

    Membership is free and open to any U.S. company involved in the nuclear fuel cycle, as well as end-users, regardless of the location of the ultimate business owner.  

    Entities interested in joining the DPA Consortium should send an email to DPAConsortium@nuclear.energy.gov.  

    The request submitted should explain their involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle and interest in partnering with DOE, along with the name(s) of representative(s), email, and phone number.  

    Membership requires approval by the Office of Nuclear Energy.  

    Interested companies may register more than one individual.   

    The Office of Nuclear Energy will be working with industry participants to identify participants as well as near and long-term goals.  

    The first meeting of the DPA Consortium is October 14, 2025. 

Announcements

    • Read the press release announcing the establishment of the DPA Consortium, published August 22, 2025.
    • Download the DPA Federal Register notice 

Resources