WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Today, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) into less radioactive substances. This new initiative would address one of ARPA-E’s core goals as outlined by Congress, to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. In turn, it could revolutionize the nuclear power industry, allowing for additional emissions-free nuclear power generation that is critical to achieving President Biden’s net-zero goals for America.

“Safe, clean nuclear power will play a critical role in helping the United States and the world reduce and eliminate energy-related emissions,” said ARPA-E Director Evelyn N. Wang. “Transmutation could shorten the timeline for UNF disposal by thousands of years, which represents a transformational solution for generations to come.”

The Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now (NEWTON) program seeks to develop technologies that enable transmutation, the process in which an isotope is converted to a different isotope or element through a nuclear reaction. NEWTON aims to enable the economic viability of transmutation at a scale that will significantly reduce the mass, volume, activity, and effective half-life of the existing stockpile of commercial UNF.

The NEWTON program focuses on three key objectives:

• Develop technologies related to the generation and acceleration of particle beams that can initiate transmutation reactions;
• Identify solutions related to modelling, designing, and fabricating target materials for transmutation of used nuclear fuel, incorporating transmutable materials into a target, and processing transmuted material for waste or isolation; and
• Integrate the technologies developed in the first two categories into a techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment of a transmutation facility and maintain a materials and components database for transmutation facilities.

Visit the ARPA-E eXCHANGE website for more information about NEWTON, including key guidelines and dates for applicants, and download the NEWTON program description here. 

NEWTON continues ARPA-E’s work to develop a variety of ways to address UNF. These efforts include its CURIE and ONWARDS programs which focus on recycling UNF into fuel for advanced reactors, which would increase fuel efficiency and reduce the volume of waste requiring permanent disposal. 

ARPA-E advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies across a wide range of technical areas that are too early for private-sector investment. Learn more about these efforts and ARPA-E's commitment to ensuring the United States continues to lead the world in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. 

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