The operator of the National Enrichment Facility, the only commercial uranium enrichment site in the United States, has announced plans for a privately funded multibillion-dollar expansion at its Eunice, NM complex that would increase production of enriched uranium by 50%.
Urenco USA plans to begin construction in 2027 on a new process building that will house up to 24 gas centrifuge cascades for a total of 2.1 million work units of new enrichment capacity. The new falls would begin to occur in 2032, and others would be installed until 2036.
A spokesman said the company is weighing supply chain options for the expansion, including the selection of EPC contractors, and plans to complete it by 2027. “We are well into the design process for the new plant and expect to proceed quickly once we have selected supply chain partners,” the spokesman said.
In a separate upgrade project that will also begin next year, Urenco USA plans to restore the capacity of existing waterfalls at the facility. It has been operating since 2010 and has an existing annual capacity of 4.3 million separate work units, about one-third of current US demand. A 700,000-unit expansion that began last year in an existing building will be completed in 2027.
15
million separate work units of uranium enrichment capacity purchased by US civilian nuclear reactors in 2024; only 19% come from the US
Source: Latest data from the US Energy Information Administration
In addition to serving as the primary fuel for existing commercial light water nuclear reactors, which generate nearly 20% of US electricity, the low-enriched uranium produced at the facility will be an essential feedstock for producing high-assay low-enriched uranium for use in advanced reactor designs expected in the 2030s.
The US program is part of a larger effort by UK-based parent Urenco USA to add new beneficiation capacity at sites in the Americas and Europe over the next decade. It is also building a facility in England to convert more depleted uranium hexafluoride “tails” for later use, or into a chemically stable form for disposal.
Bechtel is providing front-end engineering and design services for the project.
