US-based BWX Technologies (BWXT) has launched its Centrifuge Manufacturing Development Facility (CMDF) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The CMDF is intended primarily to support the uranium enrichment facility that BWXT is building in Erwin, Tennessee, under a contract with the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Construction of the CMDF began in June 2025.
The CMDF serves as BWXT’s primary hub for the design, engineering, fabrication and testing of advanced gas centrifuge machines. The facility features precision manufacturing space, in-house quality assurance and testing capabilities and specialised infrastructure to support future centrifuge production. It will accelerate the transition of centrifuge technology from development to production readiness and aligns with national priorities for energy security, defence readiness and advanced manufacturing. Currently 100 highly skilled professionals are currently working in support of the CMDF and project activities, with plans to expand the workforce as manufacturing activities scale.
In September 2025, NNSA awarded BWXT a $1.5bn contract for a comprehensive programme intended to ensure a secure and reliable supply of enriched uranium for defence fuel needs. Under the contract, BWXT was tasked to initiate requirements to build the Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE) pilot plant to be located at its Nuclear Fuel Services site in Erwin. This 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 DUECE technology will not be used to produce enriched uranium for the commercial nuclear power industry. The decision to sole source the DUECE pilot plant contract to BWXT Enrichment Operations, will allow NNSA to streamline the pilot plant deployment, ensure timely execution to meet defence mission needs, and provide the best value solution to the government.
As the design authority for the DUECE technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will continue to pursue DUECE technology development and NNSA remains committed to continued collaboration with ORNL to advance the reestablishment of enrichment capabilities for defence needs.
The pilot plant will demonstrate low-enriched uranium (LEU) production for NNSA’s defence missions, before ultimately being repurposed to produce highly enriched uranium (HEU) for naval propulsion applications. The Erwin pilot plant will utilise the centrifuges built a the CMDF in Oak Ridge. BWXT President and 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.”
Following the opening of the CMDF, Geveden commented: “I am so impressed with the speed at which the BWXT team moved, from breaking ground in late June to standing up this facility just seven months later. With the CMDF now operational, we are positioned to move centrifuge technology from development into production readiness while strengthening America’s sovereign nuclear supply chain.”
NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams said: “This facility signifies the kind of speed, focus and capability our national security demands. By restoring a fully domestic uranium enrichment capability for defence needs, we are ensuring the United States can meet its defence fuel requirements now and into the future, strengthening our nuclear deterrent and maintaining assured second-strike capability.”
Deputy Governor and Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner, Stuart C McWhorter, noted: “We are proud to celebrate the grand opening of BWXT’s first Oak Ridge facility and excited to see how the company’s continued investment in our state accelerates Tennessee’s momentum as the US epicenter for nuclear energy.”
“BWXT’s decision to locate in Oak Ridge underscores why Tennessee is a national leader in advanced manufacturing and nuclear innovation.” He added: “With more than 1,100 Tennesseans employed through BWXT’s operations in Oak Ridge and through its subsidiary, Nuclear Fuel Services, the company is creating high-quality jobs while strengthening our state’s role in national security.”
In April 2025, TNECD had announced that BWXT would receive a grant from its Nuclear Energy Fund (NEF) to support the CMDF project after BWXT acquired nearly 97 acres of land in Oak Ridge for the facility. TNECD is the state’s primary agency committed to fostering economic growth through job creation and community development.
The $50m NEF, which assists nuclear power-related businesses choosing to relocate or expand in Tennessee was proposed in Governor Bill Lee’s recommended 2023-2024 budget and subsequently approved by the Tennessee General Assembly. An additional $10m was allocated and approved in the state’s budget during both the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions, bringing the fund’s total to $70m since its inception. BWXT was the third company to receive NEF funding.
“With Oak Ridge’s integral role in WWII with the Manhattan Project and forward-thinking leadership from Governor Lee and our General Assembly members in creating the Nuclear Energy Fund, Tennessee is primed to become an epicenter for nuclear industry,” said McWhorter. “We’re grateful to partner with the Y-12 National Security Complex, ORNL and our other educational institutions across the state in providing the resources to enhance science, technology and training to support companies like BWXT. Congratulations to our partners and BWXT in bringing this project to fruition.”
BWXT’s expansion of its centrifuge and enrichment plants is mirrored by similar developments at Centrus Energy which is expanding its Technology and Manufacturing Centre in Oak Ridge to support its enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio. However, while BWXT is serving the defence sector Centrus is providing services primarily for the commercial nuclear industry.
