Centrus Energy finalized terms on a $900 million Department of Energy order July 1 to expand enrichment of HALEU, a fuel for advanced reactors, at its Piketon, Ohio, plant. The project would enable production of up to one metric ton by July 2032.
HALEU is high-assay, low-enriched uranium, required by nine of 10 federally backed advanced-reactor designs. Centrus operates the only U.S. facility with both a federal license and proven technology to produce it. More than half of Centrus' low-enriched uranium (LEU) deliveries to customers in 2027 are expected to come from TENEX, a Russian state-owned supplier. A 2023 U.S. law bars imports of natural uranium and LEU produced in Russia or by Russian entities; limited waivers for some operators are set to expire Jan. 1, 2028, while restrictions remain through Dec. 31, 2040.
Centrus is investing more than $560 million at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to make thousands of centrifuges and expanding Piketon for LEU and HALEU output. It has supply agreements with reactor developers X-Energy, Radiant and Oklo. The International Atomic Energy Agency forecasts the first major small modular reactor projects will begin operating around 2030; the article says scaling the technology will take time and Centrus faces a costly expansion.
