Urenco USA has begun production of enriched uranium in its newest gas centrifuge cascade to start the next phase of expansion at its enrichment facility in New Mexico.
In a Monday press release Urenco USA said this cascade is the first of several, scheduled to come online by early 2027.
When completed, the company expects the expansion to provide a nearly 15 percent increase in its domestic enrichment capacity. The company said it is evaluating potential expansion subject to market demand.
Urenco USA installed the first new centrifuges at its National Enrichment Facility site in Eunice, N.M. for its expansion in October 2024. The centrifuges were installed in an existing centrifuge hall at the enrichment facility. Urenco USA is part of the European Urenco Group. According to an internet search, the enrichment facility is only about 40 miles from the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
Urenco announced its New Mexico capacity expansion program in July 2023, Urenco USA hopes the expansion program will help meet the growing demand for nuclear fuel.
Urenco USA is the United States’ only commercial producer of enriched uranium and currently has the capacity to meet nearly one-third of the enrichment needs of the nation’s commercial nuclear plants, according to the press release.
