Urenco USA (UUSA) has achieved a major nuclear industry milestone by producing its first commercial product cylinder of low-enriched uranium plus (LEU+) at the National Enrichment Facility (NEF) in Eunice, New Mexico. This marks the first commercial production of LEU+ in the Western world.
LEU+ raises the concentration of the fissionable U-235 isotope to between 5% and 10%, compared with the 3-5% standard for traditional low-enriched uranium (LEU). It allows light-water nuclear reactors to run for longer periods between refuelling outages, significantly cutting operations and maintenance costs. The fuel will power next-generation advanced reactor designs and act as a vital feedstock for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).
UUSA received Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) authorisation to enrich up to 10% in September 2025 and is now moving forward with long-term expansion plans. All the plant’s gas centrifuge cascades are licensed to produce LEU+, providing a flexible resource for meeting customers’ requirements.
It aims to increase domestic enrichment capacity to more than 7m million separative work units (SWU) over the next 10 years and plans to break ground on a new enrichment facility in 2029. The target is to bring the initial centrifuge cascades online in 2032, with full capacity additions running through 2036.
“A tremendous amount of work has gone into preparing our plant and our staff to reach this achievement,” said Jody Blackshear, UUSA Managing Director. “Through the coordinated efforts of teams from across our site and company, we can now supply an innovative fuel option for our customers and support the next generation of nuclear fuel technologies.”
UUSA is the only US commercial-scale producer of enriched uranium. Launching operations at NEF in 2010. The facility’s existing annual capacity of 4.3m SWU can meet approximately one-third of current US demand for LEU.
