Centrus delivers nearly 2,000 pounds of HALEU to DOE

A Centrus Energy subsidiary American-Centrifuge Operating has delivered 900 kilograms, or 1,984 pounds, of high-assay low-enriched uranium to the Department of Energy, Centrus said last week.

The Bethesda, Md.-based nuclear energy company has now achieved phase two of its DOE contract, which called for it to produce the 900 kilograms of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) by June 30, the press release said. The company now moves into phase three, which includes options for eight years of additional production beyond June 30, 2026.

Centrus earlier in June was awarded an extension of its contract to produce HALEU up to June 30, 2026.The company’s advanced centrifuges at the DOE Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio came online in 2023. 

HALEU, which is uranium enriched between 5% and 20%, is considered a safe and secure way to power nuclear reactors.

“As the only source of HALEU enrichment in the Western world, our product is urgently needed to power the next generation of reactors,” Centrus President and CEO Amir Vexler, said in the release.