BWX Technologies (BWXT) has been awarded a $1.5bn contract by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to support the national mission of establishing a domestic uranium enrichment capability for defence purposes.
BWXT will initiate requirements to build the Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE) pilot plant, which includes designing the plant, applying for the necessary licences, procuring long-lead equipment, preparing the physical site, demonstrating centrifuge manufacturing readiness and operating the plant. The pilot plant will demonstrate low-enriched uranium (LEU) production for NNSA’s defence missions, before eventually being repurposed to produce highly enriched uranium (HEU) for naval propulsion applications. The plant will be located at BWXT’s Nuclear Fuel Services site in Erwin, Tennessee.
BWXT began construction of its Centrifuge Manufacturing Development Facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in June. Once fully operational, the facility is projected to create approximately 100 highly skilled jobs, with additional growth anticipated following the initial phase of start-up testing and low-rate manufacturing demonstrations. In April, the state of Tennessee announced BWXT will receive a grant from the state’s Nuclear Energy Fund to support the centrifuge manufacturing project. BWXT acquired nearly 97 acres of land in Oak Ridge for the facility.
The Erwin pilot plant will utilise the centrifuges built in Oak Ridge. BWXT President & CEO Rex D Geveden noted: “Once operational, both facilities will enable us to scale manufacturing, so the United States maintains sovereign capability to produce vital nuclear materials for national security.” NNSA said partnering with commercial industry for the pilot plant “helps to establish critical supply chains for enduring defence enrichment requirements and ensures capabilities are ready on time to support mission need dates”.
In July, BWXT received US Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program contracts totalling approximately $2.6bn, including future year options, for manufacturing naval nuclear reactor components. The contracts primarily support Virginia and Columbia-class submarines, as well as some work for certain Ford-class aircraft carrier components.
