The launch of Project Omega represents an exciting chapter in America’s energy innovation story. With $12 million in seed funding and backing from the U.S. Department of Energy, this Rhode Island-based startup is tackling one of the most persistent challenges in the nuclear industry: spent fuel. By developing technology to recycle used nuclear fuel into long-lasting, high-density power sources, Project Omega is reframing what has traditionally been seen as waste into a potential resource for resilient energy.
This initiative offers a dual benefit. It addresses environmental concerns by reducing the burden of nuclear waste and creates dependable power alternatives that could support critical applications from scientific research to defense. Collaboration with institutions like the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory highlights the strength of public-private partnerships in advancing complex technologies.
It is especially encouraging to see a focus on energy independence rooted in domestic innovation. Leaders in the nuclear sector have long needed solutions that not only generate clean energy but also responsibly manage legacy materials. Project Omega’s approach brings fresh energy to these efforts and could inspire further investment and ingenuity in the clean energy transition.
With Project Omega, Sheehan, a Forbes Under 30 alum and serial founder, is taking on one of America’s most persistent energy problems: nuclear waste. Some 100,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel are stored in more than 100 sites across the country—in purified water pools as well as steel and concrete casks—the byproduct of more than half a century’s worth of nuclear power. And as utilities, government and industry turn to nuclear energy to meet AI’s seemingly unquenchable thirst for electricity, that backlog of unused spent fuel is going to grow. And though the fuel still contains more than 90% of its inherent energy, the U.S. lacks the means to recycle it.
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