Urenco USA Reaches Half-Way Point of Current U.S. Capacity Expansion

– 350,000 SWU of new capacity installed in the past year –

EUNICE, N.M. – Urenco USA has completed installation and startup of its fourth new cascade of gas centrifuges at its uranium enrichment facility in New Mexico, marking the half-way point of its current U.S. capacity expansion program. 

“As the United States prepares to end the imports of nuclear fuel from Russia, the installation of new uranium enrichment capacity will play a critical role in ensuring U.S. utilities have the supply they need to support the future operations of their nuclear plants,” said John Kirkpatrick, Managing Director of Urenco USA. “With our current capacity expansion program in the U.S., the capacity refurbishment programs at Urenco’s other sites, and other allied sources of supply, we are confident that the country can make this important transition away from Russian uranium imports when the ban on Russian material goes fully into effect at the end of 2027.”

The company’s newest cascade began producing low enriched uranium (LEU) on March 30. All four cascades installed during the current expansion began operating ahead of schedule and all have been on budget. The company is installing 700,000 separative work units (SWU) of new capacity at the site between 2025-2027. Urenco USA intends to further expand the New Mexico plant’s capacity by up to 2.1 million SWU in the future, based on the needs of its customers and supported by their long-term contracts.

Urenco USA also intends to refurbish existing capacity at the site starting in 2027 as part of ongoing capital investments in the plant to maintain a long-term, reliable supply of enrichment services for its customers. Since 2006, the company has invested more than $5 billion of private capital in the facility to provide a secure domestic supply of enriched uranium and is the only company to have licensed, built, operated, and expanded a commercial uranium enrichment plant in the United States.

The current U.S. capacity program is part of a larger effort by Urenco Global to install 2.5 million SWU of enrichment capacity at sites in the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany in the next few years. With four operating production facilities, Urenco provides a diversity of supply that no other Western enrichment company can offer to U.S. operators of commercial nuclear power plants.

About Urenco USA

As America’s only commercial-scale producer of enriched uranium, Urenco USA operates the National Enrichment Facility, a strategic part of America’s energy infrastructure and nuclear fuel supply chain that began operations in 2010 and has the capacity to meet approximately one-third of the enrichment needs of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. The facility employs more than 500 U.S. employees and long-term contractors.

With nearly two decades of experience building and operating uranium enrichment capacity in the United States, Urenco USA is uniquely positioned to support U.S. utilities in meeting growing domestic energy needs and in strengthening U.S. energy security. Since its first product shipment in 2012, the company has delivered every customer order on time and to specification, representing more than 50 million SWU of production. 

Urenco USA’s essential role in the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain supports the generation of reliable, secure, and sustainable energy for U.S. consumers and businesses. The company focuses on providing safe, cost-effective, and reliable uranium enrichment services for power generation while working within a framework of high regulatory and safety standards. Urenco USA’s world-class facility in southeastern New Mexico plays a vital role in supporting U.S. energy production, energy security, jobs, and manufacturing. To learn more, visit www.urencousa.com.

Contact:
Jeremy Derryberry
Director of Communications, Urenco USA
Jeremy.Derryberry@urenco.com
505-975-3844

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