The UK is home to our enrichment plant in Capenhurst, Cheshire, and our head office in Paddington, London.
Urenco Capenhurst
Key facts
Capenhurst is one of Urenco’s largest sites, bringing together enrichment, advanced fuels and nuclear stewardship at a single location.
Three companies are responsible for these distinct services:
Urenco UK operates our enrichment facilities and will be responsible for our Advanced Fuels Facility.
Urenco ChemPlants runs our Tails Management Facility, which deconverts our by-product into a more stable form for storage, reuse and disposal.
Urenco Nuclear Stewardship provides waste management, long term storage and decommissioning services.
We also have a satellite office in Birchwood Park, Warrington, which provides a base for employees working across a range of business and technical functions that support the company’s operations.
Our services
Enrichment
Urenco UK operates three enrichment plants, which enable nuclear power stations around the world to generate electricity. The largest of the three plants, E23, produces more than 80% of the facility’s enrichment capacity.
Advanced fuels
We're facilitating nuclear energy innovation through the development of our Urenco Advanced Fuels facility at our Capenhurst site. This is crucial for global and UK nuclear fuel projects requiring HALEU and LEU+.
Nuclear Stewardship
A key part of our commitment to the responsible processing of nuclear materials for safe long term storage is overseen by our two wholly-owned subsidiaries; Urenco Nuclear Stewardship and Urenco ChemPlants.
Creating positive impact
Sustainability
Alongside our net zero ambitions, support for low-carbon energy and responsible nuclear stewardship, we partner with local nature programmes to restore biodiversity and strengthen environmental resilience.
In Cheshire, new woodlands are being created to
enhance biodiversity, capture carbon and create
natural spaces for future generations. Work includes pond restoration and woodland planting alongside wildflower meadows.
Urenco volunteers have supported Cheshire West and Chester Council to plant a small community orchard, which helps preserve some older Cheshire fruit varieties, while supplying local food share organisations and communities.
Socio-economic impact analysis
A socio-economic impact assessment, produced by Oxford Economics, reported that:
Capenhurst supported a £547 million contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023.
In 2023, the site supported 4,575 jobs around the UK, including its 951 employees.
For every 10 people employed by Urenco, another 38 jobs were supported elsewhere.
It generated enough tax revenues (£130 million) to pay the equivalent annual wages of around 4,000 UK nurses.
Supporting our local communities
As a good corporate citizen, we communicate openly with our community and provide both practical and financial support.
Employees are encouraged to volunteer for local causes, while the site donates around £120,000 each year to charitable initiatives.
We inspire future scientists and engineers through our Richie education programme, STEM ambassadors and our long-standing partnership with The University of Manchester.
Our social impact partnership with Chester Zoo delivers environmental, educational and community benefits across the region.
Take a tour
Watch our virtual tour to take a guided journey through one of our Capenhurst enrichment plants and discover how the enrichment process works. You can also tour our Tails Management Facility to learn how we safely and responsibly manage uranium tails.
These interactive experiences offer a unique opportunity to see inside facilities that are not normally accessible to the public and gain a deeper understanding of our role in the nuclear fuel cycle.
Head Office
The UK is also home to our head office, located in Paddington, London.
From London, we coordinate activities across our enrichment sites in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA, helping to ensure a consistent, reliable and secure service for our customers around the world.
The office also supports the development and delivery of Urenco’s global strategy, working closely with teams across the business to drive innovation, sustainability, growth and operational excellence.
Interested in joining our team?
See what its like working at our UK locations on our life pages, or view our job opportunities.
