Building America’s Nuclear Future: From Uranium to SMRs

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This was a fun podcast with Mark Mukhija, Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp. (NYSE) NUCL.

“ Did you know that a singular ChatGPT search is equivalent to leaving your light bulb on for 20 minutes? “

Mark Mukhija, Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp, NUCL

I learned a lot from Mark, and this was an absolute blast to find out how much uranium we need just to update our nuclear fleet, and how much we still buy from other countries.

“ So the executive order that came out in March of 2025 was around boosting domestic mineral production in the country for projects that are on federal land. Our project is on federal BLM land as well. “

Mark Mukhija, Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp, NUCL

If you have listened to the Energy News Beat Podcast, you have heard me say that Energy Security Starts at Home, and Energy Dominance comes through your Exports. Well, Mark and the team at Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp, NUCL, are on top of the largest Uranium deposit in the US, and this is critical. Let’s look at their shovel-ready combination and get some permits moving today. Their deposits are on Federal Land, so this should be a Trump dance waiting to happen. I can hear the band staring up as President Trump gets Lee Zeldin to sign the EPA approvals to get the mine moving in months, not years. The average time to open a mine is 20 years, and we will be tracking this one as it is mission-critical.

When Mark pointed out that the US uses nuclear reactors to power 20% of the grid, but we only produce 2% of the uranium, I about fell out of my chair. No wonder we were buying so much from Russia.

1. Nuclear Energy’s Future Role in the U.S.

The discussion emphasizes that nuclear energy is critical for powering emerging technologies like AI, data centers, and quantum computing. The U.S. currently operates around 94 nuclear reactors but will need approximately 180 more in the near future to meet growing power demands.

2. Eagle Nuclear Energy’s Business Model

Eagle Nuclear Energy is positioned as an integrated nuclear fuel supply chain company, focusing on:
  • Uranium mining operations
  • Small modular reactor (SMR) technology development
  • Ownership of one of the largest uranium deposits in the U.S. (in the measured and indicated category)

3. Industry Challenges & Opportunities

Key challenges include:
  • Lengthy permitting and approval processes for nuclear projects
  • Need for significant capital investment and project acceleration
  • Importance of domestic uranium production for national security and energy independence

4. Financial & Strategic Positioning

  • The company has $31 million in current funding for exploration and pre-feasibility work
  • Focus on executing key milestones to build investor confidence and secure additional funding
  • Plans for potential partnerships to address different aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle

The future looks bright when we have great entrepreneurs leading our nuclear push. On our Energy News Beat Stand Ups, we will be watching and reporting on Eagle Nuclear Energy and its progress. I loved the fact that the 37 million pounds of “Near-Surface Uranium” is extremely cool.

Connect with Mark on his LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmukhija/

 

Check out Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp. (NYSE) NUCL https://eaglenuclear.com/

 

Also, a shout-out to our great Sponsors:

 

A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcast https://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.

A shout-out to our New Sponsor, Data2 – We will be running an AI Centered Series and have lots of data rolling out!. https://www.data2.ai/resources/the-decision-lag-report

And check out The Energy News Beat Substack at

Energy News Beat

At The Intersection of Energy and Finance – By Sandstone Group
By Stu Turley

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