Centrus Energy is planning a major expansion of its Technology and Manufacturing Centre in Oak Ridge transitioning the facility to a high-rate centrifuge manufacturing plant. The plans were announced by Centrus President & CEO Amir Vexler, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Deputy Governor and Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Stuart C McWhorter.
“We are proud to be leading the effort to restore America’s ability to enrich uranium at scale – using American technology, built by American workers right here in Tennessee, said Vexler. These advanced centrifuges are essential to meeting America’s energy security and national security requirements. We are honoured to be a part of the vibrant ecosystem of nuclear energy leaders in East Tennessee and grateful for the strong support of federal, state and local leaders here.”
Centrus’s Technology and Manufacturing Centre in Oak Ridge is currently the only uranium enrichment centrifuge manufacturing facility in the US. The company recently was awarded funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to expand its uranium enrichment plant in Ohio using centrifuges produced in Tennessee. The first new centrifuges produced in Tennessee are expected to come online in Ohio in 2029.
As part of the expansion, Centrus plans to create nearly 430 new jobs and invest more than $560m in Anderson County over the next several years to support both the growth in workforce and investment in the production of thousands of advanced centrifuges.
Centrus Energy is expanding its footprint in both Tennessee and Ohio to restore domestic uranium enrichment capabilities, with the two locations serving complementary, interdependent roles. The projects are supported by a $900m federal award from DOE for the Ohio facility and state funding from Tennessee.
The centrifuges manufactured in Tennessee are being installed at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, to enrich uranium – both low-enriched uranium (LEU) and high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). This facility is authorised to enrich uranium for DOE and commercial customers.
Centrus is the eighth company to utilise funding from TNECD’s Nuclear Energy Fund (NEF). 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 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.
“Through strategic investments from our state’s Nuclear Energy Fund, we are strengthening Tennessee’s nuclear infrastructure and advancing the technology and education needed to support it, said TNECD Commissioner McWhorter. “We appreciate Centrus’s commitment to the next generation of clean energy and look forward to the positive impact this investment will bring to our state.”
Centrus’s expansion of its centrifuge and enrichment plants is mirrored by similar developments at BWX Technologies (BWXT), which has launched its Centrifuge Manufacturing Development Facility (CMDF) in Oak Ridge to support its enrichment plant in Erwin (also in Tennessee). However, while Centrus is primarily serving the commercial nuclear industry, the BWXT facilities provide services for the defence sector.
