Urenco USA started operations of its fifth cascade of new uranium enrichment capacity at its National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, N.M., the company said Monday.
The fifth cascade officially began to operate on June 22, which was ahead of schedule, Urenco USA said in a Monday press release. The company previously installed new cascades over the past year, with the fourth one installed in April.
The new cascades are part of the current capacity program at the enrichment facility to install 700,000 separative work units (SWU) of enrichment capacity in a two-year period. Three additional cascades will be installed and online by early 2027, Urenco USA said.
This expanded capacity program also supports the Department of Energy’s goals to expedite the deployment of new domestic capacity and strengthen the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, Urenco USA said. The National Enrichment Facility has an existing yearly capacity of 4.3 million SWU, which is nearly one-third of U.S. demand.
“The prospects for the U.S. nuclear industry are exciting, and we are supporting it with our current capacity installation and the larger projects in the decade ahead,” John Kirkpatrick, Managing Director of Urenco USA, said in the release. “As the U.S. nuclear industry works to grow significantly in the coming years, our teams are demonstrating what is possible when plans become actions and results.”
Parallel to Urenco USA’s expansion plans, it is also planning to refurbish existing capacity at the New Mexico site starting in 2027. This would be part of its ongoing capital investments at the National Enrichment Facility, according to the release. The company has already begun construction of a centrifuge storage site to house equipment removed from existing cascades until later disposal.
On June 2, Urenco USA announced plans to build an expansion facility at the Eunice site that would enlarge the National Enrichment Facility by nearly 50%. The company hopes to begin construction of the expansion facility in 2029 and will install 2.1 million SWU of new capacity. The initial cascades are planned to be online by 2032 and additional ones will be placed through 2036.