The supply chain has been identified as a strategic element because advanced reactors employ fuels, coolants, technologies, deployment models, and other attributes and capabilities that extend beyond those of the current operating fleet of LWRs and CANDU reactors. The scope of the supply chain strategic element includes basic commodities (for example, raw materials, steel, concrete, rebar, pipe); manufacturing (for example, alloys, casting, forging, modularization, additive manufacturing); non-light-water technology products (for example, molten salt heat exchangers and pumps, and nuclear-grade graphite); sustained supply of spares and replacement components; and nuclear fuel, which is addressed in detail in the separate fuel cycle strategic element.
Key Issue: Lack of Supply Chain Investment Without Backlog or Orderbook
Supply chains generally base capacity investments on confirmed order books rather than speculation. This means that suppliers are typically hesitant to expand production without secured orders in hand. Firm commitments from buyers provide the assurance suppliers need before they increase throughput or invest in new resources to serve emerging markets. As a result, speculative expansion is uncommon, and growth tends to follow concrete customer demand.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Determine whether the current supply chain can meet demand and/or organically ramp up to meet the deployment timelines of advanced reactors: Document current domestic/regional capabilities and the projected demand based on advanced reactor deployment timelines. Identify specific production and capability gaps and whether the existing supply chain can organically ramp up to meet demand or whether additional intervention by governments, technology developers, or other mechanisms is needed. Develop innovative approaches to enable supply chain investment ahead of signed contracts and orderbooks; for example, contractual arrangements that provide revenue sharing by also sharing the risk. Address strategically important capabilities and capacity demand gaps through implementation of approaches developed above and, most importantly, resulting in offtakers.
Action Owner: NEI, CNA, OCNI, EPRI, advanced reactor vendors, suppliers, and owner/operators
Need Date: 2028
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: Multiple reactor developers have partnered with major suppliers through consortiums or investments/partial ownership of the reactor developer to ensure supply chain availability while sharing risks.
Key Issue: Lack of Fabrication Capability for Module Fabrication
Most advanced reactor designs are leveraging modular construction, which will reduce the amount of construction at a reactor site and rely more on factory fabrication. However, the supply chain may not be ready to meet the rising need for increased modularization of facilities/plants driven by advanced reactor construction and deployment approaches.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Expand module fabrication capability: Document current domestic/regional capabilities and the projected need for module fabrication facilities. Identify specific production and capability gaps.
Action Owner: NEI, CNA, EPRI
Need Date: 2025
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: EPRI is in the process of issuing a report documenting North America’s ability to meet or expand the supply chain to meet the advanced nuclear demand of modules/modularization considered within the survey.
Key Issue: Shortage of Nuclear-Grade Components
The supply chain for nuclear-grade components, although generally available for the current operating fleet, may be insufficient to meet the growing demand of advanced reactor construction. The supply base for nuclear components needs to expand, either through increase in the number of nuclear qualified suppliers or by enabling procurement of safety-related or risk-significant components to industrial codes and suppliers.
To secure manufacturer/supply source for needed nuclear-grade components, a plan should be identified and executed. The plan should include feedback from interested stakeholders and should be endorsed by the regulators.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Establish a sufficient supply of nuclear-grade components: Document current domestic/regional capabilities and the projected need for nuclear-grade components; identify gaps
- Launch domestic/regional nuclear-grade supplier development program(s) and expand Canada’s Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI) Ready4SMR program. Use these programs to help non-nuclear suppliers prepare to provide nuclear-grade components. This action should also ensure the timeliness and availability of auditing organizations with authority to certify suppliers to provide nuclear grade components—a key piece of the certification timeline.
- Establish a methodology for enabling suppliers with international commercial quality programs (for example, International Organization for Standardization [ISO]-9001 and/or others) to meet nuclear quality assurance requirements
- Expand on established processes to procure low-risk-significant or low-safety-significant components from non-nuclear suppliers; contribute to task groups in nuclear C&S to enable procurement of low-risk-significant or low-safety-significant components with reduced auditing burden.
Action Owner: EPRI, DOE, OCNI, INPO, CNA, NEI, suppliers, and others identified by the Advanced Reactor Roadmap Implementation Board
Need Date: 2028
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: DOE issued a report21 documenting the United States’ ability to meet or expand the supply chain to meet the advanced nuclear demand of components considered within the survey.
EPRI issued a report22 providing the technical basis and proposed optional alternative rules for the construction of ASME Section III Division 5 items commensurate with their contribution to safety and risk.
ASME Section III Task Group on Alternative Requirements completed two code actions and is balloting two code cases or modifications to Section III Division 5 to allow the use of alternative requirements (construction rules under Section III) commensurate with a component’s contribution to safety and risk.
NEI issued a report23 (and submitted it for NRC review) providing the technical basis for utilization of commercial supplier quality programs to expand the nuclear supply chain.
NEI’s Regulations of Rapid High-Volume Deployable Reactors in Remote Applications and Other Advanced Reactors supplement, July 2025,24 proposes that reactors that can achieve a site boundary emergency planning zone could use nationally and internationally recognized quality assurance standards for safety-related SSCs.
Key Issue: Small Forging Facilities Inadequate to Handle Potential Demands
Although the United States and Canada have capabilities to support smaller forgings, piping, and other components, these capabilities will be strained as construction and deployment of advanced reactors proceeds. Additionally, for many of the nuclear components, these suppliers will need to acquire and maintain their certifications to fabricate nuclear- grade components. However, it is understood that the North American supply chain for forgings will be insufficient to meet all forging sizes and throughput, and an international supply base will need to be leveraged.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Increase small forging capacity: Document current domestic/regional production capabilities and the projected need for small forging facilities. Identify specific production and capability gaps.
- Connect candidate forgers with developers through workshops and industry events to establish shared demand and economies.
- Connect candidate manufacturers and manufacturing hubs with applicable government funding opportunities and initiatives to address capability gaps and equip the industry to meet future demand.
- Form new or join existing consortiums to establish necessary forging capabilities and proof-of-concept research with shared resources.
Action Owner: NEI, EPRI , CNA, advanced reactor vendors, suppliers, and owner/operators
Need Date: 2030
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: DOE issued a report24 documenting the United States’ ability to meet or expand the supply chain to meet the advanced nuclear demand of components considered.
EPRI has been hosting an annual Supply Chain Workshop for Advanced Energy Systems focused on identifying supply chain issues, developing approaches and actions to resolve issues, establishing collaborative joint industry projects, and connecting suppliers with developers and end users.
Key Issue: Specific Materials Supply Chain Gaps
Specific components needed for advanced reactors, especially for the nuclear island, might be affected by supply chain issues. Materials identified include nuclear graphite, helium, sodium, molten salts, and beryllium. To secure sources for needed nuclear-grade materials, input from nuclear-grade manufacturing vendors and national laboratories should be collected to establish the basis for implementing expansion or starting up new capabilities, and a plan to establish at least one manufacturer/supplier of the nuclear-grade materials needed should be developed and executed.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Establish competent material supply chain with production capacity: Document current domestic/regional production capabilities and the projected need for specific materials. Identify specific production and capability gaps.
Connect candidate manufacturers with developers through workshops and industry events to assess emerging demand, thereby informing opportunities to establish and/or reestablish production lines.
Action Owner: EPRI, NEI, CNA
Need Date: 2025
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: EPRI will issue a report documenting North America’s ability to meet or expand the supply chain to meet the advanced nuclear demand of piping components and in-core materials considered within the survey.
Key Issue: Commercialization of Advanced Manufacturing Capabilities
Advanced manufacturing technologies are being considered during design, but they have not reached commercial maturity yet. Several technologies—including powder metallurgy, hot isostatic pressing, directed energy deposition additive, electron beam welding, diode laser cladding–hold significant promise for advanced reactors but need to be commercialized on an industrial scale to support the deployment of a fleet of advanced reactors.
ACTION:
Priority
Status
Commercialize advanced manufacturing capabilities.
- Document current domestic/regional capabilities and projected demand. Identify gaps and develop plans to close said gaps for strategic advanced manufacturing technologies that address other manufacturing gaps. Include documentation of successful models or approaches to inform moving these technologies from development to commercialization.
- Provide proof-of-concept research and prototype demonstrations for strategic and high manufacturing and technology level readiness techniques.
- Expedite qualification of strategic techniques and materials in C&S and regulatory bodies based on deployment timeline and demand.
- Connect designers, developers, original equipment manufacturers, and advanced manufacturers through workshops and industry events to tie demand with capabilities.
Action Owner: EPRI, OCNI, CAMiNA, DOE, AMMT, ARCSC, CSA, NEI
Need Date: 2023–2030
Progress to Date on Addressing Key Issue: DOE issued a report25 documenting the United States’ ability to meet or expand the supply chain to meet the advanced nuclear demand of components considered.
EPRI developed and issued an Advanced Manufacturing Roadmap26 focused on research, development, and qualification needed to deploy key advanced manufacturing methods.
Various code actions are currently in progress to qualify multiple advanced manufacturing methods in C&S.
21”Advanced Reactor Supply Chain Assessment” (INL/RPT-23-70928)
22Alternate Requirements for Construction of ASME Section III Division 5 Components Commensurate with their Contribution to Safety and Risk 30020239077
23NEI 22-04 – Utilization of ISO 9001 and Other Commercial Suppliers to Expand the Nuclear Supply Chain
24Supplement to the NEI Proposal Paper “Regulation of Rapid High-Volume Deployable Reactors in Remote Applications (RHDRA) and Other Advanced Reactors” NEI ML25195A307.
24”Advanced Reactor Supply Chain Assessment” (INL/RPT-23-70928)
25”Advanced Reactor Supply Chain Assessment” (INL/RPT-23-70928)
26“Advanced Manufacturing Methods Roadmap for the Nuclear Energy Industry” (3002022978)