SHINE and GE Vernova Partner to Modernize Nuclear Fuel Recycling

The initiative, funded by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), focuses on developing a technology suite known as Monochromatic Assays Yielding Enhanced Reliability, or MAYER. As a subcontractor, Janesville-based SHINE is engineering systems that feed material data into a digital twin, allowing operators to monitor nuclear flows without the frequent shutdowns and manual sampling currently required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Ross Radel, SHINE’s chief technology officer, noted that the objective is to embed safeguards into the facility design from the outset rather than treating them as an operational burden. This approach aligns with SHINE’s broader REDUCE process—Recover Elements, Destroy Undesirables, Create Energy—which intends to turn spent fuel into a viable energy resource. By securing a lower-security regulatory classification through these automated controls, the company hopes to significantly reduce the physical security costs typically associated with handling spent nuclear material.