Centrus Energy Corp. announced that it expects to begin first-of-a-kind production of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) in October 2023, approximately two months ahead of schedule, at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio. Under a competitively-awarded, cost-share contract signed with the U.S. Department of Energy in 2022, Centrus is required to begin production of HALEU by the end of this year. In June, Centrus announced it had successfully completed its operational readiness reviews with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and received NRC approval to possess uranium at the Piketon, Ohio site ?

the last major regulatory hurdle prior to beginning production. Centrus is now conducting final system tests and other preparations so that production can begin in October. HALEU is an advanced nuclear fuel required for most of the next-generation reactor designs currently under development. The capacity of the 16-centrifuge cascade that is expected to begin enrichment operations in October will be modest ?

about 900 kilograms of HALEU per year ? but with sufficient funding and offtake commitments, Centrus could significantly expand production. A full-scale HALEU cascade, consisting of 120 centrifuge machines, with a combined capacity to produce approximately 6,000 kilograms of HALEU per year (6 MTU/year), could be brought online within about 42 months of securing the necessary funding.

Centrus could add an additional HALEU cascade every six months after that. That would mobilize hundreds of union workers in Ohio to build and operate the plant and support thousands of direct and indirect jobs across a nationwide manufacturing supply chain.