JSE- and Nasdaq-listed isotope enrichment and advanced materials company ASP Isotopes' (ASPI's) nuclear fuels subsidiary Quantum Leap Energy (QLE) has entered into a nonbinding agreement with a large, publicly-traded US energy company that operates nuclear power stations.

This will see the US energy company evaluate options to support QLE's plans to establish advanced nuclear fuel cycle facilities located in the US.

These facilities are planned to produce high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) and low-enriched uranium plus (LEU+), as well as to provide uranium conversion and deconversion services.

The agreement outlines potential terms for providing financial support pursuant to definitive agreements for the supply of enriched-uranium. It also advances QLE's strategy to build US-based capabilities to support advanced nuclear fuel production.

There is growing urgency to increase US-based uranium-enrichment capacity, including HALEU production capabilities.

With the federal government's ban on Russian uranium imports starting in 2028, and increasing demand from next-generation reactor developers, domestic suppliers are expected to be needed to fill a critical perceived gap in the nuclear fuel supply chain, ASPI says.

QLE believes both HALEU and LEU+ are vital nuclear fuels for the US. QLE expects many advanced nuclear reactors, including small, modular reactors, will rely on fuels with higher uranium enrichment levels, specifically HALEU.

QLE also intends to make LEU+ available to the existing fleet of nuclear reactors currently running on LEU to enable existing reactors to lengthen the time between refuelling, cut costs and boost power output.

The successful development of US-based advanced nuclear fuel production facilities would represent a significant milestone in strengthening the US's domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.

“This memorandum of understanding represents an important step in QLE's efforts to help establish a domestic supply chain for advanced nuclear fuels,” says QLE CEO Ryno Pretorius.

“We believe interest from a major US energy producer underscores the importance of reliable domestic sources of nuclear fuel. We look forward to advancing technical diligence and evaluating potential pathways toward long-term commercial collaboration.”

Meanwhile, QLE also announced that it has appointed Dr Nate Salpeter as its chief technology officer.

He has recognised expertise in the field of physics-constrained energy technology optimisation and has more than 15 years of experience in building computational frameworks, laser-based experimental methods and first-of-kind engineering programs across nuclear energy and advanced thermal systems, ASPI states.

Salpeter previously served as the first fluid dynamicist at both nuclear reactor design company TerraPower and US nuclear energy company Kairos Power. For these companies, he established foundational capabilities, including by architecting computational fluid dynamics and reduced-order modelling methods to increase accuracy and significantly reduce development turnaround time.

Salpeter's primary responsibilities at QLE will include optimising its existing in-licensed and proprietary technologies, implementing rapid learning cycles and leading disciplined derisking efforts, ASPI says.

His extensive experience in developing solutions that complement the company's strategy with hands-on technical execution is expected to be invaluable to QLE as it aims to advance its clean energy technologies.

Salpeter plans to focus on standing up the computational, experimental and integration frameworks needed to progress QLE's commercial goals.

“Throughout my career, I have repeatedly joined emerging organisations at moments where their technology was promising but the methods, processes, and validation frameworks did not yet exist. My goal at QLE will be to ensure technical decisions are correct, timely, transparent and aligned with the company's broader strategic objectives,” says Salpeter.

“I am excited to join the QLE team, and I look forward to serving as a highly technical execution partner to the strong leadership team already in place.”

Salpeter holds a PhD and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida.

“We believe Dr Salpeter's exceptional record in building computational and experimental programmes will be crucial as we advance our technologies toward commercialisation.

“His combination of technical depth, entrepreneurial experience and record of scaling emerging technologies makes him the ideal chief technology officer to lead our technical team through this next phase of development,” says Pretorius.

Salpeter has a proven record of assembling effective teams and delivering impactful outcomes. He has been recognised with the Lewis F Moody Award for distinguished contributions to the field of fluid mechanics by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Further, in addition to his technical expertise, Salpeter brings valuable perspective as deep-technology venture fund SNØCAP co-founder and general partner, where he leads technical diligence across energy, industrial and materials investments.

Salpeter is also co-founder of community education and food access nonprofit Sweet Farm Foundation, which makes a global impact through its technology acceleration platform serving as a real-world testbed for hardware, agriculture, biotechnology and AI startups.

Prior to joining QLE, Salpeter served as TerraPower systems lead and consultant where he worked on the Travelling Wave Reactor and the Natrium project.

He also served as a technical lead for a US Department of Energy-funded programme between TerraPower, nuclear energy company Areva, Argonne National Laboratory and Texas A&M University.

Salpeter has also served as Kairos Power senior adviser and, most recently, as adviser to Magrathea Metals, where he built foundational computational frameworks for multiphase, multiphysics and particle-flow systems.