“To deny a rebirth of nuclear energy is to deny human ingenuity and aspiration… I believe that this struggling ingenuity will be equal to the task of creating the Second Nuclear Era.”
Curio is closing the nuclear fuel cycle by recycling spent fuel into clean energy for the next generation of small modular reactors.
Its NuCycle technology recovers the ~96% of energy still in America's used fuel, feeding a family of advanced fuels and reactors across six divisions.
At CURIO, we are dedicated to ushering in the 2nd Nuclear Era® by unleashing the full potential of the atom. This means clean energy, substantially lower environmental footprint, and advanced technologies. Energy use remains the foremost indicator of economic prosperity and energy access promotes human rights. We envision a future of plenty that is powered with clean, sustainable nuclear energy.
Our Consortia Partners
Our patented technology eliminates the risk of plutonium while also using already existing material. With spent nuclear fuel already in storage, our technology can usher in a new age of nuclear power that is already ready to go.
metric tons of transuranic isotopes accumulate in American spent nuclear fuel every year.
capacity factor targeted for the next generation of advanced reactors.
of the global capacity of natural gas reserves — the energy equivalency accumulating annually.
Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner demonstrate that uranium nuclei can be split, releasing extraordinary amounts of energy. A single kilogram of uranium holds the energy equivalent of 3,000 tons of coal. The physics of abundance, hiding in plain sight.
1 kg uranium = 3,000 tons of coal
Enrico Fermi and his team achieve the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction beneath Stagg Field in Chicago. Humanity's first deliberate release of nuclear energy — and proof that it could be controlled.
The USSR's Obninsk plant becomes the world's first grid-connected nuclear power station. President Eisenhower launches Atoms for Peace, redirecting atomic science toward civilian power. The first nuclear era begins — optimistic, bold, and full of promise.
More than 200 reactors come online across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Nuclear briefly represents the most ambitious energy buildout in human history. The fuel cycle remains open. Spent rods accumulate in temporary storage, their remaining 96% of energy stranded.
96% of fuel energy remains unused
Two major incidents reshape public perception of nuclear energy. Construction slows. Policy changes. The conversation shifts from abundance to caution. The spent fuel problem doesn't pause with it. The waste keeps accumulating, year after year.
The U.S. designates Yucca Mountain as the site for permanent spent fuel storage. The plan stalls. Decades later, 90,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel sit in temporary storage across 75 sites in 33 states. Each rod still carrying the energy of the future inside it.
90,000 metric tons waiting
A new generation of engineers begins designing reactors that are smaller, safer, faster to deploy, and purpose-built to run on advanced fuels — including recycled spent fuel. The technology for a closed fuel cycle finally begins to match the ambition of the original nuclear promise.
Curio completes bench-scale demonstration of NuCycle, the technology that recycles spent nuclear fuel into usable fuel for SMRs. Executive orders embrace the closed fuel cycle. The U.S. Department of Energy partners with Curio to scale. The power was always there. Now we use it.
Bench demonstration complete — 2025Phone
771.210.1100Address
1425 K Street NW, Suite 210
Washington, DC 20005
