Panoramic: Automotive and Mobility 2025
Nuclear Fuel Cycle
We help clients in each step of the nuclear fuel cycle, from mining, enrichment, and fabrication, to transportation and management of spent fuel and radioactive waste.
Our team works closely with vendors across the front end and back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, and brings with it a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing vendors in this arena.
We have experience handling all types of matters that involve fuel cycle facilities. We assist clients on a variety of issues, including nuclear licensing and compliance matters associated with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or other nuclear regulators. Our experience includes initial facility licensing, license amendments, license transfers, export controls, financial assurance for decommissioning, investigations, enforcement, and decommissioning.
Our experience supporting the nuclear fuel cycle goes back decades. We have supported the licensing and construction of the United States' only commercial enrichment facility and routinely advise on fuel fabrication and transportation matters. We also have deep experience in management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, and have been involved in cutting-edge projects to address our nation's spent fuel disposal challenges.
We work with companies large and small and support a number of new entrants, including those seeking to develop new fuels using high-assay low-enriched uranium or "HALEU" fuel. Our team includes a number of attorneys with a cumulative 70+ years of experience working on fuel cycle issues, including a former general counsel for the Department of Energy (DOE), along with a number of former NRC attorneys.
Our capabilities at a glance
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Judicial review wins
2
Ex-government policy advisors
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Pieces of legislation changed
Hear from our clients and industry leaders
The whole team is super smart. They are all really easy to work with and then know our business inside out. They come to us proactively with issues and are incredibly responsive.
Chambers & Partners, UK Guide, 2025
An intellectually brilliant and commercially astute public law team. One of the very best in the city.
Chambers & Partners UK 2025
Hogan Lovells has a high capability in solving complex issues that involve both legal and technical perspectives.
Chambers & Partners, Germany, 2025
The lawyers are just experts. They are there when you need them and happy to entertain all my questions. They understand the wider context and the politics and sensitivities of it.
Chambers & Partners, UK 2025
Representative experience
Assisted vendors developing novel nuclear fuel technologies, including fuel technologies that rely on HALEU fuel.
Advised clients participating in development of consolidated interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel, and those exploring novel ways to address the spent fuel disposal challenge.
Assisted clients in engagements with DOE to address spent fuel disposal and compensation for spent nuclear fuel storage.
Represented a leading fuel cycle company on a variety of issues related to uranium enrichment, including on development of the nation's currently only operational commercial enrichment facility.
Assisted nuclear fuel cycle companies in NRC license transfers associated with mergers and acquisitions.
Advise on nuclear liability issues for suppliers to U.S. and global nuclear power projects.
Assisted clients in understanding nuclear liability risk for cross-border transportation of nuclear waste.
Represent a leading supplier of spent fuel storage casks and transportation services for spent fuel and other radioactive material.
Advised uranium mining clients on licensing and general regulatory matters.
Assisted clients in understanding compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act matters, National Environmental Policy Act matters, and local stakeholder engagement.
Advised NRC licensees in mergers and acquisitions, including NRC license transfers, nuclear liability and insurance matters, due diligence, trust transfers, contract matters, and CFIUS.
Advised nuclear fuel cycle clients with respect to the DOE loan guarantee program and funding opportunities.
Advised operator of low-level waste disposal facilities on regulatory and contractual issues.
Advised on low-level radioactive waste and spent fuel storage issues in the United Kingdom.
Secured a major victory for a trio of nuclear utilities when the Federal Circuit awarded them approximately US$160m in a long-running spent nuclear fuel related contract dispute with the federal government.
Advised clients on U.S. Department of Transportation regulations governing the transportation of hazardous materials in the United States, including radioactive material.
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