DOE awards $150M to support advanced uranium facility
E&E NEWS PM | On Thursday, the Department of Energy will declare a $150 million cost-sharing arrangement to complete and run an Ohio enrichment facility that has been problematic for a long time. This facility might become the country’s first commercial supplier of the kind of uranium needed for future advanced nuclear reactors.
American Centrifuge Operating LLC, a Centrus Energy Corp. subsidiary, will get a $150 million cost-share agreement to complete and run an enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio. By 2024, the plant is expected to start producing 900 kg of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) yearly, with further opportunities to increase production under the contract in subsequent years.
“Reducing our reliance on adversarial nations for HALEU fuel and building up our domestic supply chain will allow the U.S. to grow our advanced reactor fleet and provide Americans with more clean, affordable power,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
Domestic production of HALEU, the type of highly enriched uranium needed for some of the nation’s advanced reactors, has become a priority for DOE after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The United States currently has no commercial capability to produce HALEU, and Russia is virtually the only producer available in the world market.
