US Solstice Advanced Materials (formerly Honeywell) has announced that its Metropolis Works in Illinois is projected to produce over 10 kilotonnes (10 kt) of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) in 2026, which represents about a 20% increase from its planned output in 2024.
Metropolis Works is the only UF6 conversion facility in the United States. Metropolis was built in the 1950s to meet military conversion requirements, and began providing UF6 for civilian use in the late 1960s. Original nameplate capacity was up to 15,000 tU per year, but this was reduced to 7000 tU per year in 2017 in light of global demand. Honeywell announced in November 2017 the temporary suspension of UF6 production at Metropolis pending an improvement in business conditions. The decision was a result of “significant challenges” faced by the nuclear industry at that time, including a worldwide oversupply of UF6. The plant was restarted in July 2023.
ConverDyn, a partnership between Solstice and General Atomics, serves as the exclusive marketing agent for all UF6 produced at the Metropolis Works facility, which holds a licence from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission that is valid until 2060.
Solstice has invested in debottlenecking projects at Metropolis Works following its 2023 restart in response to strong customer demand for UF6. The expansion efforts are underpinned by a backlog of over $2bn driven by orders from long-term customers, many of which are domestic utility companies, as well as the US policy goal of quadrupling nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
With support from the Department of Energy (DOE), Solstice is exploring additional projects to increase production at the Metropolis Works. Solstice has also retained an unidentified engineering, procurement and construction firm to conduct an initial engineering analysis for new capacity expansion investments and has initiated long-term supply discussions with customers. A key mechanism for support has been through the DOE’s $75m programme to establish a domestic uranium reserve. In 2022, ConverDyn received a $14m award under this programme for uranium conversion services.
“Solstice has stepped up production of UF6, a critical component in the nuclear fuel supply chain, with the support of disciplined capital investments and improved operational excellence at our Metropolis Works facility,” said David Sewell, Solstice President and CEO. “Leveraging our 60-plus years of operational excellence, industry leadership and proprietary expertise, we are exceedingly well-positioned to ensure our capacity to produce converted uranium is aligned with the industry and its rapid expansion.”
The Metropolis Works facility converts uranium ore concentrate from global mines into UF6 using Solstice’s proprietary process, which is recognised for its efficiency and reliability.
Solstice Advanced Materials is a leading global specialty materials company offering high-performance solutions that enable critical industries and applications, including refrigerants, semiconductor manufacturing, data centre cooling, nuclear power, protective fibres, healthcare packaging and more.
